NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka sensation Kamindu Mendis has etched his identify within the historical past books, turning into the first-ever batsman to attain fifty or extra in eight consecutive Check matches.
The fashionable left-hander achieved this outstanding feat throughout Sri Lanka’s second Check match towards New Zealand at Galle Worldwide Stadium on Thursday.
Coming in at quantity 5, Mendis as soon as once more displayed his distinctive batting acumen, notching up his fourth half-century in Check cricket.
The milestone got here as Sri Lanka recovered from a shaky begin of their first innings. After captain Dhananjaya de Silva gained the toss and selected to bowl, Sri Lanka’s early innings suffered a setback with Pathum Nissanka dismissed cheaply.
Nevertheless, veteran campaigners Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal steadied the innings with a vital 122-run partnership for the second wicket.
Karunaratne’s unlucky run out supplied New Zealand with a breakthrough, however Chandimal continued his effective kind to deliver up a century earlier than being dismissed.
It was Kamindu Mendis’ arrival that solidified Sri Lanka’s place. Alongside Angelo Mathews, Mendis guided the crew previous the 300-mark, scoring a elegant 51* by the top of day one, with Sri Lanka ending on 306 for 3.
Mendis’ unimaginable consistency has been a defining characteristic of his sport, beginning along with his fifty towards Australia in Galle in 2022, adopted by awe-inspiring scores towards Bangladesh and England earlier this 12 months.
Kamindu Mendis in final eight Check matches (solely 50+ scores):
- 61 vs AUS in 2022
- 102 & 164 vs BAN in 2024
- 92* vs BAN in 2024
- 113 vs ENG in 2024
- 74 vs ENG in 2024
- 64 vs ENG in 2024
- 114 vs NZ in 2024
- 51* vs NZ in 2024
His newest half-century towards New Zealand not solely helped Sri Lanka publish a formidable whole but in addition noticed him break a world document that stood untouched for years.
Mendis’ outstanding run is a transparent signal of his rising stature in world cricket, making him certainly one of Sri Lanka’s most dependable middle-order batsmen.
