Sri Lanka star Kamindu Mendis has got off to a rollicking start to his international career. Mendis has broken a plethora of records in his short career and he added another feather to his tally after scoring a brilliant 182 in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand at Galle. The century was Mendis' fifth this year and he became the first player in the world to hit five international hundreds in 2024, leapfrogging Joe Root, who scored four centuries.
He is also second on the list of most runs this year, with 1210 runs to his name.
Mendis also became the first batter in the world to hit eight fifty-plus scores in consecutive matches since debut. The previous longest streak of fifty-plus scores in consecutive Tests from debut was seven by Saud Shakeel. In another stellar feat, he joined Don Bradman to become the second fastest to reach 1000 Test runs. Both Bradman and Mendis took 13 innings to reach the landmark. Everton Weekes and Herbert Sutcliffe top the charts of fastest to 1000 runs in Test cricket, achieving the feat in 12 innings.
Most Hundreds In 2024
| Player | Runs | Innings | Hundreds |
| Kamindu Mendis | 1210 | 20* | 5 |
| Joe Root | 986 | 11 | 4 |
| Pathum Nissanka | 1165 | 25 | 4 |
| Rohit Sharma | 1001 | 22 | 3 |
| Shubman Gill | 940 | 19 | 3 |
Sri Lanka On Top As New Zealand Collapse
The hundred by Mendis clubbed with 116 by Dinesh Chandimal and 106 by Kusal Mendis helped Sri Lanka post a daunting total of 602-5 in their first innings. New Zealand had a terrible outing with the bat and were bowled out for a mere 88 in the first innings, with Prabath Jayasuriya taking six wickets. Sri Lanka are in a dominant position to win the Test and if they do, they will boost their chances of reaching the WTC final. Sri Lanka have series against South Africa and Australia to follow and if they can do well in the series, they will have a great chance of reaching the WTC final.