Kamindu Mendis Achieves Record in Test Cricket

Kamindu Mendis, the promising all-rounder from Sri Lanka, carved a new record in the annals of Test cricket history by scoring 50-plus runs in each of his first eight Test matches. This achievement took center stage on the first day of the second Test match against New Zealand, where Mendis hit his fifth half-century and continued his consistent performance.

Mendis made his Test debut in 2022 against Australia and has since maintained an impressive streak of eight consecutive 50-plus scores. With four centuries already to his name and a personal best of 164 runs, the young cricketer resumed play on the second day in Galle alongside veteran Angelo Mathews, with aspirations of scoring another century.

During this series, Mendis has accumulated 873 runs across eight matches, managing an impressive average of 79.36. His contribution has been crucial in stabilizing the Sri Lankan team during challenging moments. On this occasion, Mendis joined an already successful innings, particularly bolstered by Dinesh Chandimal, who had earlier scored a century, contributing to Sri Lanka’s total of 306/3 by the end of the day’s play.

Chandimal was eventually dismissed by New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips after posting a score of 116, while Angelo Mathews reached a personal milestone as well, becoming the sixth cricketer to surpass 2,000 Test runs at a single venue, joining the ranks of legendary Test players like Joe Root and Graham Gooch. Mathews achieved this feat at the traditionally bowler-friendly Galle International Stadium.

New Zealand’s bowlers missed early opportunities to fracture the Sri Lankan partnership, failing to take advantage of circumstances that could have changed the course of the match. Notable missed chances included Daryl Mitchell’s drop catches and Tom Blundell’s missed stumping.

With Sri Lanka having won the first Test by 63 runs, New Zealand is under pressure to break a run of poor performances at Galle, where they have yet to secure a victory in five attempts. Honoring the late Ian Taylor, former manager of the Black Caps, New Zealand players wore black armbands during the match.