Kamindu Mendis has kickstarted his Test career in a brilliant fashion and reached the milestone of 1000 runs in just his eighth match. He got there during his knock of 182 not out against New Zealand in Galle.
Here’s his journey so far in numbers:
13 innings taken by Kamindu to reach the 1000-run milestone puts him level with the legendary Don Bradman as the joint-fastest to achieve the feat in 13 innings, with only two players – Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes – reaching the mark faster, both in 12 innings. Kamindu is the fastest to the milestone in the last 75 years and betters the previous fastest of 14 innings to the milestone by Vinod Kambli among Asian batters. For Sri Lanka, the previous record was 23 innings each by Roy Dias, Michael Vandort and Dhananjaya de Silva.
1004 runs by Kamindu makes him only the second batter to cross 1000 runs in the first eight appearances after Bradman, who had aggregated 1210. Mahela Jayawardene sits at a distant second with 694 runs at the same point in career among Sri Lankan batters. Kamindu’s average of 91.27 is the fifth highest for any batter at the end of their eighth Test behind Neil Harvey (105.38), Thilan Samaraweera (103.00), Kambli (99.75), and Bradman (93.08).
Five hundreds by Kamindu in 13 innings makes him the joint fourth quickest to the milestone alongside Bradman. Weekes got to his fifth century in his tenth innings while Sutcliffe and Neil Harvey got there in 12 innings each. Among Sri Lankan batters, the next quickest to five centuries is Aravinda de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal, both of whom required 38 innings each.
8Â Kamindu has now hit a 50+ score in each of his first eight Tests – the first ever batter to do so. He surpassed the previous most of seven by Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel in 2022-23 while the next best for a Sri Lankan batter is five by Roy Dias in 1982.
1Â Sri Lankan player hitting 50+ scores in more than eight consecutive Tests at any point in their career – Kumar Sangakkara with nine Tests in 2014.
116.83Â Kamindu’s average in first innings for his team. He has crossed 50 in seven of the eight times he batted in first innings, only missing out against England in Manchester. His first innings scores read: 61, 102, 92*, 12, 74, 64, 114, and 182*.
5Â Players who have scored a century in each innings of a Test within the first two matches of their career. Kamindu achieved the feat when he scored 102 & 164 against Bangladesh in Sylhet in just his second Tests. Lawrence Rowe and Yasir Hameed did it in their debut Test while Wajhatullah Wasti and Phill Hughes did it in their second Tests.
5 hundreds by Kamindu in 2024 is the joint third most for a Sri Lankan batter in a calendar year following seven hundreds by Aravinda de Silva in 1997, six by Tillakaratne Dilshan in 2009 and five by Mahela Jayawardene in 2007. All his five centuries have come batting #5 or below, second most in a calendar year after Jonny Bairstow’s six in 2022 and level with Michael Clarke’s five in 2012.
