Sri Lanka spinner Prabath Jayasuriya broke a 71-year-old record when he dismissed Ireland's Paul Stirling to claim his 50th Test wicket on the final day of the second Test in Galle on Friday. The 31-year-old reached the milestone in his seventh Test to take away the record from West Indies' Alf Valentine as the spinner to reach the 50-wicket milestone in the fewest number of matches. He has been sensational since his rise in Test format. He made his debut against Australia in July 2022, when he finished with the fourth-best debut match figures of 12/177.

Jayasuriya has picked up five wickets in an innings six times including 5/174 in Ireland's first innings of the second Test in Galle. He only needs a five-wicket haul in the second innings to register 10 wickets in a match for a third time. Before Jayasuriya, Valentine was the record holder he made an immediate impact following his debut in 1950. He was the leading wicket-taker with 33 scalps in four Tests as West Indies won a Test series in England for the first time.