Sri Lanka’s middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis has created a new record on Friday (September 27) by becoming the fastest Asian batter in Test cricket’s history to score five centuries. The 25-year-old left-handed batter scored his fifth Test century in his 13th inning of the eighth Test, which is currently underway at Galle International Stadium against New Zealand. Kamindu completed his century with a single on the fourth ball of the 125th over of Sri Lanka’s first innings, which was bowled by Glenn Phillips.
Mendis is the joint-third fastest batter to score five Test hundreds. The overall record is in the name of West Indies batter Everton Weekes, who achieved the feat in his 10th inning. England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and Australia’s Robert Harvey scored their fifth Test century in the 12th inning.
Legendary Australian cricketer Don Bradman and West Indies’ George Headley scored their fifth Test century in the 13th inning.
Fastest to five hundreds from Test debut (innings)
- 10 – Everton Weekes (West Indies) – 1948
- 12 – Robert Harvey (Australia) – 1925
- 12 – Herbert Sutcliffe (England) – 1931
- 13 – Don Bradman (Australia) – 1930
- 13 – George Headley (West Indies) – 1931
- 13* – Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka) – 2024
The previous record of fastest to five Test centuries by an Asian batter was in the name of Pakistan’s Fawad Alam, who reached his fifth century in 22 innings. For Sri Lanka, the record was in the name of Aravinda de Silva, who scored his fifth hundred in his 38th inning.
The talented youngster is now on course of becoming the fastest Asian batter in history to score 1000 runs in Tests. If he manages to score 178 runs in the first innings, he will break India’s Vinod Kambli’s record, who crossed the 1000-run mark in his 14th Test inning.
Earlier, by scoring 50 on Thursday, Kamindu became the first batter in Test cricket’s history to score 50+ in all of his first eight matches.
The Galle-born cricketer made his Test debut against Australia in Galle on July 8, 2022, and scored 61 runs in the first innings. He hammered 102 and 164 runs in the second Test against Bangladesh, which was played in Sylhet from March 22 to 25, 2024. In his third Test, which was played against Bangladesh in Chattogram, Kamindu remained unbeaten on 92 runs in the first innings and got out for nine in the second innings.
His fourth, fifth, and sixth Test was against England in August-September 2024, and in five innings he scored 12, 113, 74, 4, and 64 runs. He didn’t get a chance to bat in the second innings of the third Test, which Sri Lanka won by eight wickets inside four days.
In the first Test of the ongoing series against New Zealand, Kamindu scored 114 runs in the first innings and 13 in the second.
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