Kamindu Mendis equals Don Bradman by reaching 1,000 runs in just 13 Test innings on Day 2 of 2nd SL vs NZ 2024 Test
Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis continued his exceptional run in Test cricket, scoring an unbeaten 182 in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand in Galle on Friday, September 27. During his knock, the batter also reached 1,000 Test runs in only his 13th Test innings, thus equaling the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, who also got there in as many innings.
Kamindu narrowly missed out on equaling the record for fewest innings taken to reach 1,000 Test runs. England's Everton Weekes and West Indies' Herbert Sutcliffe jointly hold the record, having reached 1,000 Test runs in 12 innings.
Kamindu, who will turn 26 on September 30, slammed 16 fours and four sixes in his 250-ball knock against the Kiwis in Galle, finishing his innings with a strike rate of 72.80. He featured in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 200 with Kusal Mendis (106* off 49 balls). Earlier, Dinesh Chandimal scored 116, while Angelo Mathews contributed 88 as Sri Lanka declared their first innings on 602-5.
Responding to Sri Lanka's massive first-innings total, New Zealand were 22-2 after 14 overs at stumps on Day 2. Tom Latham was dismissed for 2 by Asitha Fernando, while Devon Conway was sent back by Prabath Jayasuriya for 9.
Kamindu Mendis' sensational Test stats after 13 innings
After 13 Test innings, Kamindu has 1,004 runs to his name at an average of 91.27, with five hundreds and four half-centuries. The left-handed batter from Sri Lanka made his Test debut against Australia in Galle in July 2022. Coming in as a replacement for Dhananjaya de Silva, he scored 61 off 137 balls as the Lankans registered a thumping win by an innings and 39 runs.
His next Test match was against Bangladesh in Sylhet in March 2024. Kamindu notched up hundreds in both innings. The southpaw scored 102 in the first innings and followed it up with 164 in the second. In the next Test of the series in Chattogram, he contributed an unbeaten 92 in the first innings.
Kamindu was among the few bright spots for Sri Lanka during the tour of England, which they lost 2-1. The left-hander batter scored 267 runs in five innings at an average of 53.40, with one century and two half-centuries. He also scored 114 in the first Test against New Zealand in Galle in the ongoing series.