Sports News
1,000 wickets?!218th and 4th in history; Lankan lion in legendary achievement
Sri Lankan player Malinda Pushpakumara completed 1,000 wickets in the first-class format. Pushpakumara achieved this historic feat in the Badarulia Sports Club – Moors Sports Club match in the 2026 Major League Tournament.
Before the match, the star had 998 first-class wickets to his name. The player who took four wickets in the first innings reached the magical number of 1,000 after the second wicket.
Pushpakumara Pasindhu reached 999 by dismissing Moors’ Sohan De Livera to complete any bowler’s dream of 1,000 first-class wickets.
Malinda Pushpakumara
The player, who took seven wickets from two innings in the match, currently has 1,005 first-class wickets to his name.
Pushpakumara is only the fourth Sri Lankan player to achieve this feat. Legendary players like Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangane Herath and Dinuka Hettiarachi are the Lankan players who have taken 1000 red ball wickets before this.
Muttiah has taken 1,374 first-class wickets in his career while Rangana Herath has taken 1,080 wickets. Dinuka has 1001 first class wickets.
Malinda Pushpakumara also made history as the 218th player to take 1000 first-class wickets in cricket history.
Malinda Pushpakumara
Among the active players, only three players have managed to reach this historic achievement. James Anderson (1,143), the all-time leading pacer in the Test format, and South African superstar Simon Harmer (1,020) are the only current players to complete the feat of 1,000 first-class wickets.
Harmer achieved the feat last year, while Anderson achieved the feat in 2021.
With 860 first-class wickets, future Australian legend Nathan Lyon is the fourth-highest first-class wicket-taker among active players.
In a career spanning 20 years, Pushpakumara topped the wicket charts many times. Despite playing just four Tests for Sri Lanka, the 38-year-old has been a legend in domestic cricket.
Malinda Pushpakumara. Photo: Sri Lanka Cricket/x.com
According to statistics, the player has played in 173 first-class matches. The player bowled at an average of 20.02 and a strike rate of 38.2 from 306 innings. Economy is 3.13.
His best bowling performance in an innings is 10/37. The player also has a best bowling performance in a match of 16/110.
He has scored 53 fours and 86 fours in his first-class career and has 28 tenfers to his name.
Content Highlight: Malinda Pushpakumara becomes 4th Sri Lankan to complete 1000 First Class wickets
Adarsh M.K.
Doolnews Multimedia Journalist, Post Graduation in Mass Communication from University of Calicut.
