Pushpakumara created history (Photo-GETTY IMAGES)
Malinda Pushpakumara 1000-Wickets: Sri Lankan domestic cricket legend Malinda Pushpakumara has created history. This left arm spin bowler has achieved the feat of taking 1,000 wickets in first class cricket. Malinda Pushpakumara has become the fourth Sri Lankan cricketer to take 1000 wickets in first class cricket. Pushpakumara had come to play at the Colts Cricket Club Ground with 998 wickets, where he completed his 1000 wickets by dismissing wicketkeeper Sohan de Livera and Pasindu Suriyabandara against Moore Sports Club.
Pushpakumara is the fourth Sri Lankan to hunt 1000 kills.
Pushpakumara is the fourth Sri Lankan and 218th player in the world to take 1000 wickets in first class cricket. Muttiah Muralitharan has taken 1374 wickets in first class cricket for Sri Lanka. Rangana Herath has 1080 wickets and Dinuka Hettiarachchi has 1001 wickets. Now Malinda Pushpakumara’s name has also been added to this list.
Pushpakumara’s strike rate is amazing
Pushpakumara has taken 1000 wickets for Sri Lanka at the best strike rate. He is even ahead of Muralitharan in this matter. Pushpakumara has taken wickets at a strike rate of only 38.3, while Muralitharan’s strike rate was 48.7. Whereas Dinuka Hettiarachchi’s strike rate was 46.4. Pushpakumara’s bowling average is also only 20.06. Pushpakumara took five wickets in an innings 86 times in his career, while 28 times he took 10 wickets in a match. However, this player could play only 4 test matches for Sri Lanka, in which he took 14 wickets. In ODI also, he took one wicket in 2 matches.
History was created by taking 10 wickets in the innings
Malinda Pushpakumara had also done the feat of taking 10 wickets alone in an innings in January 2019. This left arm spinner took 10 wickets for just 37 runs against Saracens Sports Club. In this innings, he bowled 18.4 consecutive overs and in this match, he did the feat of taking more than 700 wickets in first class cricket.