Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis continued his impressive form in Test cricket, scoring an unbeaten 182 in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand in Galle on September 27. With this performance, he reached 1,000 Test runs in just his 13th innings, matching the legendary Sir Donald Bradman’s record.
Kamindu narrowly missed breaking the record for the fewest innings to reach 1,000 runs, held jointly by England’s Everton Weekes and West Indies’ Herbert Sutcliffe, who achieved it in 12 innings.
Approaching his 26th birthday on September 30, Kamindu hit 16 fours and four sixes off 250 balls, ending with a strike rate of 72.80. He shared an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 200 with Kusal Mendis, who scored 106* off 49 balls. Earlier, Dinesh Chandimal made 116, and Angelo Mathews contributed 88 as Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 602-5.
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Test Runs in just 13 innings for Kamindu Mendis 🤩
Third-fastest in history and tied for second with none other than Sir Don Bradman 🌟 #SonySportsNetwork #SLvNZ pic.twitter.com/531VjYM43h
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 27, 2024
In response to Sri Lanka’s large first-innings total, New Zealand finished Day 2 at 22-2 after 14 overs. Tom Latham was out for 2, dismissed by Asitha Fernando, while Devon Conway fell for 9 to Prabath Jayasuriya.
Kamindu Mendis’ remarkable Test statistics after 13 innings
After 13 Test innings, Kamindu Mendis has accumulated 1,004 runs at an average of 91.27, including five centuries and four half-centuries. The left-handed Sri Lankan made his Test debut against Australia in Galle in July 2022, stepping in for Dhananjaya de Silva and scoring 61 off 137 balls, helping Sri Lanka secure a convincing victory by an innings and 39 runs.
His next Test came against Bangladesh in Sylhet in March 2024, where he scored centuries in both innings—102 in the first and 164 in the second. In the following Test in Chattogram, he added an unbeaten 92 in the first innings.
During Sri Lanka’s tour of England, where they lost 2-1, Kamindu was a standout performer, amassing 267 runs in five innings at an average of 53.40, including one century and two fifties. He also scored 114 in the first Test against New Zealand in the current series.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
