Published: Jan 07, 2019, 05:28 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 07, 2019, 05:28 AM (IST)
Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara has claimed all ten wickets in a first-class innings. While playing for Colombo Cricket Club against Saracens Sports Club in the Premier League Tournament Tier A, Pushpakumara returned record figures of 10/37 bowling out the opposition for 113 in chase of 349 on Sunday.
Pushpakumara bowled unchanged for 18.4 overs of which five were maidens. Five of his dismissals came via catches, two bowled, two stumpings and one lbw.
The 31-year-old has played four Tests and two ODIs for Sri Lanka since making his debut in August 2017. During the match, he also took his first-class wickets tally past the 700 mark. In 123 FC matches, he has now 715 wickets at an average of 19.19.
He had taken 6/73 in the first innings as well, finishing with match figures of 16/110.
However, Chamikara Edirisinghe, the Saracens left-arm spinner, had earlier come close to completing a 10-fer in CCC’s first innings, finishing with 9/87 from 26 overs. He was denied the rare feat by Ashen Bandara who took the final wicket, cleaning up Lahiru Gamage in his second over.
At the international level, only two bowlers have clinched all 10 wickets to fall in a single innings. England’s Jim Laker was the first to achieve the feat when he took 10/56 against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956. Over four decades later, India’s Anil Kumble repeated the feat, taking 10/74 against Pakistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in 1999.
