Kamindu Mendis Scores Fourth Test Century in Galle Against New Zealand
Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis scored his fourth Test century in his seventh Test match, making 114 runs off 173 deliveries against New Zealand at Galle on Wednesday. Promoted to number 5 after his excellent form in England, Mendis’ performance helped Sri Lanka reach a solid score of 302/7 at the end of Day One in the first test match at the Galle International Stadium.
Mendis was the final wicket to fall for Sri Lanka on day one after Ajaz Patel’s delivery hit his gloves and went to the slip cordon. Mendis has made a fifty-plus score in each of his first seven Tests, a world record he shares with Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel. He has scored centuries in Sylhet, Manchester, and Galle, but he considers this one the most special. ‘This is my hometown, and Richmond College, the school I went to, is here,’ Kamindu said after the day’s play. ‘There was a thought swirling around my head that I had to hit a hundred here. But to be honest you shouldn’t be happy with just a hundred as a batsman. You need to go further than that. Unfortunately, I got out,’ he added.
Mendis’ extraordinary start in Test cricket has seen him score 809 runs in 11 innings, averaging 80.9, the highest for any batter after Sir Donald Bradman with a minimum of 10 Test innings. In the current World Test Championship cycle, Mendis has the best average for any batter, making 748 runs in 10 innings at 83.11 with four hundreds. Only Joe Root has made more hundreds (5) in this cycle of the World Test Championship.
Mendis, who made 61 on his Test debut against Australia in 2022, hit top gear against Bangladesh earlier this year. He made 102 in Sylhet in the first innings and a stunning 164 in the second, followed by an unbeaten 92 in Chattogram. Against England, he made 113 at Old Trafford, added 74 at Lord’s, and wrapped up with 64 at The Oval as Sri Lanka won a Test match on English soil for the first time in a decade.
Doubts Revealed
Kamindu Mendis -: Kamindu Mendis is a cricketer from Sri Lanka. He plays for the national team and is known for his batting skills.
Test century -: A Test century means scoring 100 or more runs in a single innings of a Test match, which is a long format of cricket.
Galle -: Galle is a city in Sri Lanka. It has a famous cricket stadium where international matches are played.
New Zealand -: New Zealand is a country that also has a cricket team. They were the opponents in this match.
302/7 -: This is a cricket score. It means the team has scored 302 runs and lost 7 wickets.
Day One -: Test matches are played over five days. Day One means the first day of the match.
fifty-plus score -: A fifty-plus score means scoring 50 or more runs in an innings.
Saud Shakeel -: Saud Shakeel is a cricketer from Pakistan. He also has a record of scoring fifty-plus runs in his first seven Test matches.
Sir Donald Bradman -: Sir Donald Bradman was a famous Australian cricketer, considered one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
hometown -: Hometown means the place where someone was born or grew up. For Kamindu Mendis, it is Galle.