Spin bowlers capturing five or more wickets in a test innings while sharing the new ball
MDK Perera of South Africa captured 6 for 32 against South Africa in the recently concluded test at Galle. He had shared the new ball as a spin bowler. His effort of 6 for 32 at Galle provides the 102nd occasion of a spin bowler capturing five or more wickets in an innings while opening the bowling in the annals of test cricket. His effort provides the eighteenth such occasion against South Africa in a test innings. All such occasions are tabulated below
| NO | Player | Overs | M | Runs | W | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | J Briggs | 14.2×4 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 3 | Eng | SAF | Cape Town | 25 Mar 1889 |
| 2 | C Blythe | 32.0 | 13 | 68 | 6 | 1 | Eng | SAF | Cape Town | 24 Mar 1906 |
| 3 | C Blythe | 28.5 | 10 | 50 | 5 | 3 | Eng | SAF | Cape Town | 24 Mar 1906 |
| 4 | C Blythe | 15.5 | 1 | 59 | 8 | 2 | Eng | SAF | Leeds | 29 Jul 1907 |
| 5 | C Blythe | 22.4 | 9 | 40 | 7 | 4 | Eng | SAF | Leeds | 29 Jul 1907 |
| 6 | C Blythe | 20.3 | 5 | 61 | 5 | 2 | Eng | SAF | The Oval | 19 Aug 1907 |
| 7 | C Blythe | 18.0 | 5 | 46 | 7 | 2 | Eng | SAF | Cape Town | 11 Mar 1910 |
| 8 | JW Hearne | 16.0 | 4 | 49 | 5 | 2 | Eng | SAF | Johannesburg | 01 Jan 1914 |
| 9 | R Benaud | 21.0×8 | 6 | 49 | 5 | 3 | Aus | SAF | Cape Town | 31 Dec 1957 |
| 10 | A Kumble | 68.4 | 15 | 143 | 6 | 2 | Ind | SAF | Bengaluru | 02 Mar 2000 |
| 11 | Harbhajan Singh | 48.3 | 23 | 59 | 5 | 3 | Ind | SAF | Kolkata | 14 Feb 2010 |
| 12 | HMRKB Herath | 45.0 | 30 | 40 | 5 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Col-SSC | 24 Jul 2014 |
| 13 | R Ashwin | 24.0 | 5 | 51 | 5 | 2 | Ind | SAF | Mohali | 05 Nov 2015 |
| 14 | RA Jadeja | 11.5 | 4 | 21 | 5 | 4 | Ind | SAF | Mohali | 05 Nov 2015 |
| 15 | R Ashwin | 16.1 | 6 | 32 | 5 | 2 | Ind | SAF | Nagpur | 25 Nov 2015 |
| 16 | R Ashwin | 29.5 | 7 | 66 | 7 | 4 | Ind | SAF | Nagpur | 25 Nov 2015 |
| 17 | R Ashwin | 49.1 | 26 | 61 | 5 | 4 | Ind | SAF | Delhi | 03 Dec 2015 |
| 18 | MDK Perera | 14.0 | 4 | 32 | 6 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Galle | 12 Jul 2018 |
MDK Perera’s effort provides the sixteenth occasion of a Sri Lankan bowlers achieving such a feat. All such occasions are tabulated below
| No | Player | Overs | M | Runs | W | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | HDPK Dharmasena | 24.1 | 4 | 72 | 6 | 1 | Srl | NZl | Galle | 3 Jun 1998 |
| 2 | MRCN Bandaratilleke | 24.0 | 9 | 36 | 5 | 3 | Srl | NZl | Galle | 3 Jun 1998 |
| 3 | M Muralitharan | 50.3 | 8 | 173 | 5 | 3 | Srl | Aus | Kandy | 16 Mar 2004 |
| 4 | S Randiv | 29.0 | 3 | 82 | 5 | 4 | Srl | Ind | Col-PSS | 3 Aug 2010 |
| 5 | HMRKB Herath | 38.1 | 8 | 125 | 5 | 2 | Srl | Pak | Sharjah | 16 Jan 2014 |
| 6 | HMRKB Herath | 45.0 | 30 | 40 | 5 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Col-SSC | 24 Jul 2014 |
| 7 | HMRKB Herath | 30.2 | 11 | 48 | 6 | 3 | Srl | Pak | Galle | 6 Aug 2014 |
| 8 | HMRKB Herath | 21.0 | 6 | 48 | 7 | 4 | Srl | Ind | Galle | 12 Aug 2015 |
| 9 | HMRKB Herath | 33.3 | 16 | 54 | 5 | 4 | Srl | Aus | Pallekele | 26 Jul 2016 |
| 10 | MDK Perera | 23.0 | 5 | 70 | 6 | 4 | Srl | Aus | Galle | 4 Aug 2016 |
| 11 | HMRKB Herath | 18.1 | 3 | 64 | 7 | 4 | Srl | Aus | Col-SSC | 13 Aug 2016 |
| 12 | HMRKB Herath | 26.0 | 4 | 89 | 5 | 2 | Srl | Zim | Harare | 6 Nov 2016 |
| 13 | HMRKB Herath | 23.0 | 6 | 63 | 8 | 4 | Srl | Zim | Harare | 6 Nov 2016 |
| 14 | HMRKB Herath | 39.1 | 5 | 133 | 6 | 3 | Srl | Zim | Col-RPS | 14 Jul 2017 |
| 15 | HMRKB Herath | 21.4 | 4 | 43 | 6 | 4 | Srl | Pak | Abu Dhabi | 28 Sep 2017 |
| 16 | MDK Perera | 14.0 | 4 | 32 | 6 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Galle | 12 Jul 2018 |
MDK Perera’s effort provides the second occasion of a Sri Lankan bowler achieving such a feat against South Africa.. Both such occasions are tabulated below
| No | Player | Overs | M | Runs | W | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | HMRKB Herath | 45.0 | 30 | 40 | 5 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Col-SSC | 24 Jul 2014 |
| 2 | MDK Perera | 14.0 | 4 | 32 | 6 | 4 | Srl | SAF | Galle | 12 Jul 2018 |