Kamindu Mendis is not leaving behind Bradman

Kamindu Mendis is not leaving behind Bradman

Kamindu Mendis achieved an impressive score of 182 runs off 250 balls, including 16 fours and 4 sixes, during his remarkable innings against New Zealand at Galle. His performance has secured him a place in the annals of Test cricket history, standing alongside the legendary Sir Don Bradman. On the day of this achievement, Sri Lanka declared their innings at 602 runs for 5 wickets, with notable centuries from Dinesh Chandimal (116) and Kushal Mendis (106*). By the conclusion of the second day, New Zealand had lost 2 wickets while managing only 22 runs. Overall, it was a day filled with excitement.

With 998 runs to his name in Test cricket, Rachin made a notable impact by hitting a six off Ravindra as he stepped onto the wicket. He reached the milestone of 1000 runs in just 13 innings, marking the second-fastest achievement in this regard. Only two players in Test history have surpassed the 1000-run mark in fewer innings than Kamindu: England's Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies' Sir Everton Weeks, both of whom accomplished this in 12 innings. After Sutcliffe's achievement in 1925, Weeks matched him in 1949. Kamindu's accomplishment makes him the fastest to reach this milestone in the past 75 years, equaling Sir Don Bradman, who also took 13 innings.

In addition to reaching the 1000-run milestone, Kamindu has matched another of Bradman's records. He scored a century against New Zealand today, marking the fifth of his Test career. Both Bradman and West Indies' George Headley reached their first five Test centuries in 13 innings. Overall, Kamindu ranks joint third in the list of the fastest players to achieve five centuries, while being the fastest among Asian batsmen at the age of 25.

Kamindu's current batting average places him in close proximity to that of Sir Don Bradman. He boasts an impressive average of 91.27 in his Test career, ranking second among batsmen who have accumulated 1,000 runs. Leading the list is Bradman, with an extraordinary average of 99.94. In terms of total runs scored after 13 innings, Kamindu ranks slightly lower, with Bradman holding the record for the highest runs at this stage—1,196. Kamindu stands at fourth place with 1,004 runs. Additionally, he ranks fourth in batting average after 13 innings, with Neil Harvey holding the highest average of 106.56, followed by Bradman at 99.67 and Sunil Gavaskar at 91.80.

In a remarkable achievement, Kamindu recorded a world record by scoring at least one fifty in each of his first eight consecutive matches, finishing with an unbeaten 51. The record for the most fifties in consecutive Tests for Sri Lanka is held by Kumar Sangakkara, who achieved this feat in nine matches. Should Kamindu score 50 in his next Test, he will equal Sangakkara's record. However, the overall record for fifties in consecutive Tests is held by AB de Villiers, with 12.

All five of Kamindu's centuries have been scored at the age of five or younger, with each century being achieved this year. Only two players have managed to score five or more centuries in a single calendar year: Jonny Bairstow with six in 2022 and Michael Clarke with five in 2012.