[Watch] Kamindu Mendis reaches his fourth hundred in seven Tests with a boundary during SL vs NZ 1st Test 2024
Sri Lanka batter Kamindu Mendis continued his excellent form by scoring his fourth Test century in just his seventh match. He reached the milestone on Day 1 of the ongoing Test against New Zealand on Wednesday, September 18, at Galle International Stadium.
He reached this landmark on the third ball of the 74th over. Rachin Ravindra bowled a full toss outside off, which the left-handed batter dispatched to the cover boundary, securing his fourth Test century off 145 balls.
Here’s the video of the moment:
Earlier in the game, when the left-hander reached his fifty, he equalled Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel's record for the most 50-plus scores in consecutive Tests from debut (7).
The 25-year-old scored 114 runs and became the fastest player to reach four centuries for Sri Lanka, achieving this in just 11 innings and breaking Michael Vandort’s previous record of 21 innings.
Kamindu Mendis saves the day for Sri Lanka after some early setbacks
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening match of the two-Test series against New Zealand. Blackcaps pacer William O’Rourke provided an early breakthrough for the visitors by dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne for two runs.
Pathum Nissanka played aggressively, but his innings was cut short by O’Rourke at 27. Senior batters Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews tried to steady the ship, but Mathews had to retire hurt after scoring 12 due to a finger injury.
Kamindu Mendis joined Chandimal, but the latter was soon dismissed by Tim Southee for 30. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva contributed 11 runs off 24 balls and Mathews returned to score 36 off 116 balls, including three fours.
Notably, Kamindu and Kusal Mendis formed a crucial partnership, adding 103 runs for the sixth wicket before the latter was dismissed for 50. Kamindu went on to score his fourth Test century, finishing with 114 runs off 173 balls, including 11 boundaries.
At stumps on Day 1, Sri Lanka were 302/7, with Ramesh Mendis (14) and Prabath Jayasuriya (0 not out) at the crease.