Kamidu Mendis, the all-rounder of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team, has achieved great success in his history. Test cricket. He became the first cricketer to score half-centuries in all his first 8 matches in the longest format of the game.
Kamindu Mendis was successful in the ongoing second Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team. The final game of the two-match series between the two teams is being played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium starting on Thursday (September 26).
Kamidu Mendis has shown excellent performance with the bat in the ongoing game. He continued his golden touch in the longest format of the game and made sure to put his team in a dominant position on Day 1 of the ongoing second Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Kamindu Mendis batted at No. 5 and ensured he cashed in on the platform provided by top-order batsmen. The left-hander batted freely and scored quick runs at the end of Day 1 making sure he helped his team cross 300 runs on the board.
As Kamindu Mendis batted with complete control, he scored a magnificent round in the final half-century of the day. The southpaw hit the bowlers all over the park and again ensured he lived up to expectations. He finished Day 1 unbeaten with 51 runs off 56 balls with 8 boundaries and 1 six.
With this, he became the first player to score 8 consecutive half-centuries in 8 games. He surpassed Pakistan National Cricket Team sensation Saud Shakil who scored 7 half-centuries in his first 7 matches for the team.
50+ points in most consecutive Tests since debut; Kamindu Mendis tops the list
50+ scores in most consecutive Tests since debut
8 – Kamindu Mendis*
7 – Saud Shakil
6 – Bert Sutcliffe
6 – Said Ahmed
6 – Basil butcher
6 – Sunil Gavaskar
Since the first match was played in 1877, no cricketer has been able to show such consistency in Test cricket. Mendis now has four centuries and five fifties in his first eight Test matches to continue grabbing headlines with every innings.
As for the first Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the hosts have an upper hand in the game. They did not have a great outing with the bat in the beginning, preferring to bat first. Pathum Nissanka fell early but after that Dimut Karunaratne scored 46 runs before Dinesh Chandimal took center stage.
The wicketkeeper batsman scored a magnificent hundred and ended with 116 runs from 208 balls and hit 16 fours in his innings. After he got out, Angelo Mathews (78*) and Kamindu Mendis (51*) took charge and made sure they finished the Day on a high.
The duo put on an unbeaten 85-run partnership with the bat as Sri Lanka ended Day 1 on 306/3. They will want to continue slam centuries and help the team post a big total on the board.
