Kamindu Mendis Archives

New Zealand stumble after Sri Lanka’s run fest in second Test

GALLE: New Zealand were in a state of bother at the Stumps on Day 2 of the second Test after Sri Lanka piled up a humongous total, courtesy of centuries from Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis and rising star Kamindu Mendis.

The hosts declared their first innings at 602/5, minutes before the Stumps and after an unbeaten 200-run partnership between Kamindu and Kusal.

The visitors had a shaky start to their innings as they lost both their openers Tom Latham (2) and Devon Conway (9) inside nine overs.

Skipper Kane Williamson (6) and nightwatchman Ajaz Patel (0) did well to survive the remaining 5.4 overs and will now resume New Zealand’s innings at 22/2 on the third day.

Sri Lanka resumed their first innings at 306/3 with Mathews and Kamindu, unbeaten on 78 and 51 respectively.

The duo managed to add just 22 runs to their overnight partnership as Mathews perished for 88 as Glenn Phillips got him caught at square leg by William O’Rourke.

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Dhananjaya de Silva joined Kamindu briefly for a 74-run partnership for the fifth wicket before he too, fell victim to Phillips. The skipper made 40 off 80 deliveries, hitting three fours and a six.

This was Phillips’ third wicket in the innings as he cleaned up Dinesh Chandimal on 116 in the third session of the opening day.

But New Zealand’s hopes of some fightback with the ball were dashed by a well-crafted partnership between Kamindu and Kusal.

When Sri Lanka captain de Silva called for the declaration, Kamindu was just 18 away from his maiden double century, while Kusal had just amassed his 10th Test century.

During his marathon 182-run knock, Kamindu breached the 1000 Test runs barrier.

He achieved the landmark in just 13 innings and drew level with Sir Don Bradman, while England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies’ Everton Weeks were the joint-fastest with 12 innings.

Sri Lanka lead the two-match series 1-0 and are eyeing their first series win over New Zealand since 2009. The home side won the opening Test by 63 runs.

READ: Kamindu Mendis joins Don Bradman in exclusive list

Kamindu Mendis joins Don Bradman in exclusive list

GALLE: Rising Sri Lanka batter Kamindu Mendis on Friday, flipped record books as he equalled legendary batter, Sir Donald ‘Don’ Bradman’s record of the second-fastest to reach 1000 runs in Test cricket.

Mendis achieved the milestone on the second day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand which saw him scoring his fifth Test century.

During his marathon 182-run knock, the left-handed batter breached the 1000 Test runs barrier. Kamindu Mendis achieved the landmark in just 13 innings and drew level with Sir Don Bradman, while England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies’ Everton Weeks were the joint-fastest with 12 innings.

Furthermore, Kamindu Mendis’ batting average (91.27) is now the second-fastest among players with more than 1000 Test runs and is only behind that of Don Bradman (99.94).

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Mendis’ fifth Test century, which came in just 13 innings, was also the joint-fourth fastest, alongside Bradman. Only three batters Weekes (ten), Sutcliffe (12) and Neil Harvey (12) conceded fewer innings.

On the opening day of the aforementioned fixture, Mendis became the first batter in history to score a half-century in each of his first eight Test matches.

As a result, Kamindu Mendis joined Babar Azam as the only two batters to score eight consecutive half-centuries since 2018.

Furthermore, Mendis, who has been in red-hot form since his Test return, became the first batter in the history of Test cricket to score a fifty-plus score in each of his first eight Tests, going past Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel, who scored seven.

Most 50-plus scores in consecutive Tests

Kamindu Mendis (SL): 8 Matches*
Saud Shakeel (PAK): 7 Matches
Bert Sutcliffe (NZ): 6 Matches
Saeed Ahmed (PAK): 6 Matches
Basil Butcher (WI): 6 Matches
Sunil Gavaskar (IND): 6 Matches

Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2022 against Australia in Galle and wasted no time to announce himself with a well-crafted 61, playing a pivotal role in leading the home side to an innings victory.

Despite a ground-breaking debut, Mendis remained away from the Test side for almost two years. He finally made his comeback earlier this year in the away series against Bangladesh.

Mendis started from where he left off as he scored two centuries in each innings of the Sylhet Test and backed it with a brilliant 92 in Chittagong.

READ: Bad weather spoils day one of second India-Bangladesh Test

Kamindu Mendis equals Babar Azam’s Test record, goes past Saud Shakeel

GALLE: Rising Sri Lanka batter Kamindu Mendis added another feather to his cap as he equalled Pakistan ace batter Babar Azam’s two-year-old Test record.

Mendis achieved the milestone when he scored an unbeaten half-century on the opening day of Sri Lanka’s second Test against New Zealand.

This was his eighth consecutive half-century in the longest format and thus drew level with star Pakistan batter Babar, who achieved the feat in 2022.

As a result, Kamindu Mendis joined Babar Azam as the only two batters to score eight consecutive half-centuries since 2018.

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Most 50-plus scores in consecutive Tests

Kamindu Mendis (SL): 8 Matches*
Saud Shakeel (PAK): 7 Matches
Bert Sutcliffe (NZ): 6 Matches
Saeed Ahmed (PAK): 6 Matches
Basil Butcher (WI): 6 Matches
Sunil Gavaskar (IND): 6 Matches

Despite a ground-breaking debut, Mendis remained away from the Test side for almost two years. He finally made his comeback earlier this year in the away series against Bangladesh.

Mendis started from where he left off as he scored two centuries in each innings of the Sylhet Test and backed it with a brilliant 92 in Chittagong.

READ: Adam Gilchrist reveals what made him retire from Test cricket

Kamindu Mendis equals Saud Shakeel’s Test record

GALLE: Sri Lanka’s middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis on Wednesday, equalled Pakistan’s emerging batter Saud Shakeel’s record in Test cricket.

Kamindu Mendis became only the second batter in the history of Test cricket to score seven fifty-plus scores in each of his first seven Tests, drawing level with Saud Shakeel, who set the milestone in July last year.

Mendis achieved the feat in Sri Lanka’s first Test of the two-match home series against New Zealand, underway here.

This was Mendis’ eighth fifty-plus score in his first seven Tests which saw him surpass some greats of the game including Pakistan’s Saeed Ahmed, India’s Sunil Gavaskar and West Indies’ Basil Butcher, who scored six fifty-plus scores in as many matches.

Mendis has been in red-hot form since making his Test return. He enjoyed a dream run with the bat in the recently concluded three-match away series against England, registering scores 2, 113, 74, 4, and 64.

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He made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2022 against Australia in Galle and wasted no time to announce himself with a well-crafted 61, playing a pivotal role in leading the home side to an innings victory.

Despite a ground-breaking debut, Mendis remained away from the Test side for almost two years. He finally made his comeback earlier this year in the away series against Bangladesh.

Mendis started from where he left off as he scored two centuries in each innings of the Sylhet Test and backed it with a brilliant 92 in Chittagong.

When this story was filed, Kamindu Mendis had successfully converted his record-equalling half-century into a magnificent century and was unbeaten on 106 off 156 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries.

His brilliance with the bat has put Sri Lanka in a commanding position against New Zealand as the home side has accumulated 275/5 in 77 overs with Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis going strong.

READ: Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal qualifies for Mongolia World Cup semi-finals

Kamindu Mendis named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2024

DUBAI: Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis was awarded the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2024 following his impressive comeback during the recent tour of Bangladesh.

Mendis, who rose to prominence following his impressive Test returns, beat out stiff competition from Ireland’s Mark Adair and New Zealand’s Matt Henry to claim his first ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.

The 25-year-old batter became the third player from Sri Lanka to win the prestigious award after spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

Mendis expressed his joy after winning the award, calling it a source of motivation for his career.

“I am extremely happy to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, which I consider an inspiration for my international career,” Mendis said.

“A recognition such as this motivates and makes us as players work more and more to deliver in the middle for the team, country, and fans.

“I also wish the very best for the other two players who were nominated along with me, Mark Adair and Matt Henry, whom I consider excellent players and good competitors.”

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Mendis made a comeback to the national side after two years and scored 68 runs in three T20Is against Bangladesh, including a 37 off 27 in the second game.

However, he proved his mettle in the following Test cricket against the hosts, scoring 367 runs in the two-match series.

During the first Test match, he and Dhananjaya de Silva rescued the team from a score of 57-5 and made history by becoming only the third pair from the same country to score centuries in both innings.

Before them, Australia’s Chappell brothers, Greg and Ian, and Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali had achieved this feat.

He continued his brilliant form in the second match and scored an unbeaten 92 in the first innings.

However, he narrowly missed the feat of a third Test century in consecutive innings as the last man Asitha Fernando was run out for a duck.

He also picked three wickets during the Test series, helping Sri Lanka whitewash Bangladesh.

READ: Babar Azam responds to criticism over his strike rate

Sri Lanka batter equals Javed Miandad’s long-standing Test record

Sri Lanka’s batting prodigy Kamindu Mendis equalled a record held by Pakistan’s former captain and legendary batsman Javed Miandad for the most Test runs after four innings with a stunning display of skill in the game.

The 25-year-old batter has scored 419 runs in the first four innings of his Test career, equaling Javed Miandad’s achievement from 1976.

Kamindu Mendis made his Test debut against Australia in Galle in 2022, scoring 61 runs in the first inning, and did not have to come to bat for the second time as Sri Lanka thrashed the visitors by an inning and 39 runs.

Mendis hammered 102 and 164 in the second Test of his career against Bangladesh at Sylhet. The 25-year-old batter narrowly missed the third consecutive ton as he made an unbeaten 92, missing partners from the other end.

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He missed an opportunity to tie with Mohammad Azharuddin for the most centuries after four test innings as he ran out of partners in the fourth innings.

Kamindu Mendis has amassed an incredible 419 runs, matching the record held by Javed Miandad, with scores of 61, 102, 164, and 92 not out.

In the series against Bangladesh, his only failure came in the second inning of the second Test inning when he was only able to score nine runs.

Pakistan’s former captain and legendary batsman Javed Miandad had also scored 419 runs in his first four Test innings. In his first four innings of the Test, Miandad scored 163, 25 not out, 25, and 206.

READ: Sri Lanka on top in Bangladesh Test despite 2nd innings batting blues

Sri Lanka rule Bangladesh with 531, but Mendis misses rare feat

Bangladesh were 55-1 in their first innings at stumps on the second day of the second Test after bowling Sri Lanka out for 531 in Chittagong on Sunday.

Opener Zakir Hasan was unbeaten on 28 alongside nightwatchman Taijul Islam on 0 after Lahiru Kumara bowled Mahmudul Hasan Joy for 21.

Sri Lanka made a record 531 runs in their first innings, which was the highest score in Test cricket without any batsman scoring a century.

Meanwhile, Kamindu Mendis narrowly missed the feat of a third Test century in consecutive innings.

The left-handed batter remained not out on 92 as last man Asitha Fernando was run out for a duck, leaving him eight short of what would have made him only the fourth Sri Lankan to score three centuries in consecutive innings.

Mendis, who scored 102 and 164 in the first Test, struck Taijul Islam for two sixes in an over to come close to the feat.

But Fernando fell short of his crease in a desperate attempt to change the strike.

Apart from Mendis, who was playing only his third Test, Dhananjaya de Silva (70), Dinesh Chandimal (59), Kusal Mendis (93), Dimuth Karunaratne (86) and Nishan Madhushka (57) also scored a fifty each.

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Shakib Al Hasan finished with 3-110 as Sri Lanka made Bangladesh toil for nearly two days after electing to bat first. Sri Lanka resumed the second day with 314-4.

De Silva, like Mendis, who also scored 102 and 108 in the first Test, raised the prospect of scoring 300 on the trot before he was dismissed in the post-lunch session.

Chandimal was the only batsman to be dismissed in the first session, edging Shakib behind the stumps after making 59 runs.

Khaled Ahmed trapped De Silva leg before in the first over after the lunch break.

Khaled could have taken another wicket in his next if Prabath Jayasuriya was not comically dropped by three slip fielders on six.

Mendis was declared caught behind on 35 off Mehidy Hasan Miraz, but the decision was reversed after review.

Shakib hit Jayasuriya plumb in front to end his 65-run seventh wicket stand with Mendis, who was dropped by Hasan Mahmud on 60 at deep square leg.

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Sri Lanka push Bangladesh to brink after de Silva, Mendis centuries

SYLHET: Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis both slammed their second century of the match as Sri Lanka set up a 511-run target for Bangladesh before pushing the hosts to the corner in the first Test on Sunday at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

The visitors were all out for 418 in their second innings at Sylhet, with Mendis making 164 runs to go with his 102 in the first innings and De Silva, who also scored 102 runs in the first innings, adding 108.

Sri Lankan pacers began the victory push immediately, reducing Bangladesh to 47-5 at stumps, with 464 more needed for an unlikely win.

Vishwa Fernando claimed 3-13, while Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara each claimed a wicket as Mahmudul Hasan (0), Najmul Hossain Shanto (6), Zakir Hasan (19), Shahadat Hossain (0) and Liton Das (0) all departed.

The sorry display from Bangladesh batsmen came when de Silva and Mendis dominated the bowlers for the better part of the day, becoming only the third pair in Test history to score a century in both innings.

The Chappell brothers, Greg and Ian, of Australia achieved the feat against New Zealand in March 1974, before Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali emulated it against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014.

The pair, who shared 202 runs in Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 280 runs, put on 173 runs together this time.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz broke their partnership, before finishing with 4-74 for Bangladesh.

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Resuming on 119–5, the visitors lost nightwatchman Fernando (four) early to Khaled Ahmed, before de Silva and Mendis took control.

De Silva brought his second century into the game with a single off Mehidy, before he was dropped by Nahid Rana off Shoriful Islam on 101.

Mehidy ensured the drop did not hurt the team more, soon ending de Silva’s innings, with Zakir taking the catch at short midwicket.

Mendis put away a full toss of Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to bring his own hundred off 171.

Mehidy removed Prabath Jayasuriya, who made 25, and Lahiru Kumara off successive deliveries to give Bangladesh some relief.

Mehidy could have grabbed his fifth wicket if Liton Das did not drop Mendis on 133.

Mendis protected last man Rajitha to add 52 runs in the final wicket pair, piling misery on Bangladesh.

Mendis hit Taijul Islam for three sixes in an over to reach his 150 and help the lead exceed 500 runs.

Taijul dismissed Mendis finally to wrap up Sri Lanka’s innings.

Notably, Sri Lanka have never lost a Test series to Bangladesh.

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