Milan Rathnayake Breaks 41-Year-Old Record in Test Debut Against England
Sri Lanka’s debutant Milan Rathnayake made history by scoring the highest runs ever by a number 9 batter in men’s Test cricket. The 28-year-old scored 72 runs, surpassing India’s Balwinder Sandhu’s 1983 record of 71 runs.
On the first day of the Test match between Sri Lanka and England in Manchester, Rathnayake came to bat when Sri Lanka was struggling at 113/7. England’s bowlers Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson had dismantled Sri Lanka’s top order.
Rathnayake, along with captain Dhananjaya de Silva, added 63 runs for the 8th wicket, helping Sri Lanka reach a total of 236 runs. Rathnayake’s innings ended when he was caught by Chris Woakes off a delivery from young spinner Shoaib Bashir.
England’s openers Ben Duckett and Daniel Lawrence started their innings strongly, ending the day at 22/0. England aims to build on this start on Day 2 with their aggressive ‘Bazball’ style of play.
Doubts Revealed
Milan Rathnayake -: Milan Rathnayake is a cricketer from Sri Lanka who recently played his first Test match, which is a type of cricket game that lasts up to five days.
Test Debut -: A Test debut is the first time a cricketer plays in a Test match, which is the longest form of cricket.
Number 9 batter -: In cricket, the number 9 batter is the player who comes in to bat ninth in the batting order, usually not expected to score many runs.
Balwinder Sandhu -: Balwinder Sandhu is a former Indian cricketer who held the record for the highest score by a number 9 batter in men’s Test cricket since 1983.
Ben Duckett -: Ben Duckett is a cricketer from England who is currently playing in the Test match against Sri Lanka.
Daniel Lawrence -: Daniel Lawrence is another cricketer from England who is playing in the same Test match against Sri Lanka.
