SL's Kamindu Mendis scripts history with twin Test tons
Sri Lanka's rising batting sensation Kamindu Mendis has smoked twin tons in the opening Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet. The 25-year-old reached the landmark on Day 3 as he is closing in on 4,000 First-Class runs. Mendis is standing in just his second Test and the first one in nearly 20 months. He smoked his maiden ton in the first innings.
Another fine hand from Kamindu
Kamindu, who scored 102 in SL's first innings, arrived in the first hour of Day 3 with the scorecard reading 126/6. He joined forces with fellow centurion Dhananjaya de Silva (108) as the duo added 174 runs, powering SL past 300. Kamindu batted with remarkable intent as Bangladesh bowlers failed to apply any pressure. Notably, de Silva also hammered twin tons in the game.
Seventh SL batter to accomplish this feat
Kamindu became the seventh SL batter to hammer twin tons in a Test. Besides de Silva, he has joined Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva (twice), Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Kumar Sangakkara (twice). Dilshan and Sangakkara are the other SL batters to accomplish this feat in Bangladesh. This is the first occasion of two SL batters slamming twin tons in the same Test.
Brilliant start to Test career
As Kamindu scored 61 on his Test debut against Australia in July 2022, he has now breached the 50-run mark in his first three Test innings. He now owns 260-plus, averaging 80-plus. This was overall his 15th First-Class century as he is closing in on 4,000 runs, averaging a brilliant 61-plus (50s: 20). The tally includes 28 wickets at 34.39 (5W: 1).
Historic stand between Kamindu and de Silva
De Silva and Kamindu's 173-run stand is the second-highest partnership by a visiting pair for the seventh wicket or lower in Bangladesh (Tests). They are only behind compatriots Kithuruwan Vithanage and Mahela Jayawardene, who added 176* runs for the seventh wicket in Mirpur (2014). De Silva and Kamindu added 202 runs in SL's innings, the highest sixth-wicket stand by a visiting pair in Bangladesh.