Stats - Pushpakumara joint-fastest to 1000 first-class wickets in over a century

1005 Wickets for Malinda Pushpakumara in first-class cricket. He is only the fourth player from Sri Lanka to complete 1000 wickets in this format, following Muthiah Muralidaran (1374), Rangana Herath (1080) and Dinuka Hettiarachchi (1001).

3 Players to have made their first-class debuts in the 21st century to have taken 1000 wickets in the format, including Pushpakumara, who debuted in November 2006. James Anderson, who made his debut in May 2002, got to 1000 wickets in July 2021. Simon Harmer reached this milestone last October, having made his debut in November 2009.

173 Matches that Pushpakumara needed to complete 1000 wickets. He is the joint-quickest among Asian players, alongside Muralidaran, who also took his 1000th wicket in his 173rd game. Danish Kaneria, in 201 matches, is the next quickest.

Overall, only 12 players took fewer matches to reach 1000 wickets, but none since Jack White in July 1924, who needed 171 games. Pushpakumara took 305 innings to get there, ranking him 14th among 218 players for the fewest innings taken and second among Asian players, behind Muralidaran (290).

966 Wickets taken by Pushpakumara in first-class cricket on Sri Lankan soil, the second-most behind Hettiarachchi's 980 scalps. Pushpakumara has 82 five-wicket hauls and 27 ten-wicket hauls in Sri Lanka, both of which are the most by any bowler.

28 Number of times Pushpakumara bagged ten or more wickets in a first-class match, the third most among the players to have made their debut in the past 50 years.

Muralidharan has the most, with 34 match hauls, while Mushtaq Ahmed is next with 32. Pushpakumara's 86 five-wicket hauls are also the fourth most among players since 1976. Muralidharan, with 119 five-fors, has the most, followed by Mushtaq and Courtney Walsh with 104 apiece.

Pushpakumara's five-fors and ten-wicket match hauls are the most among the players in the past 30 years, with Gayan Sirisoma (71 five-fors and 25 ten-wicket match hauls) being second.

38.29 Pushpakumara's bowling strike rate in first-class cricket is the tenth best among the players with 1000-plus wickets in the format. Cecil Parkin (39.40) is the only other bowler with a sub-40 strike rate among players to have made their first-class debut since 1900 and taken 1000-plus wickets.

10 for 37 Pushpakumara's bowling figures for Colombo Cricket Club against Saracens Sports Club in 2018-19, the best by a Sri Lankan in first-class cricket. Pramodya Wickramasinghe is the only other Sri Lankan with a perfect ten in first-class cricket, having taken 10 for 41 against Kalutara Physical Culture Centre in 1991-92.

Pushpakumara also took a total of 16 wickets in that game (16 for 110), making him only the third Sri Lankan do that in a first-class match, after Muralidharan's 16 for 220 in a Test match against England in 1998 and Umega Chaturanga's 16 for 100 against Antonians Sports Club in 2010-11.

894 Total wickets for Pushpakumara in the Major League Tournament, Sri Lanka's first-class competition. He is the second-highest wicket-taker of the competition, only behind Hettiarachchi's tally of 912.

Pushpakumara has 77 five-wicket hauls in the tournament, which are the most, while his 25 ten-wicket match hauls are joint-most alongside Sirisoma.