SL vs NZ: Kamindu Mendis equals Saud Shakeel’s world Test record

Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis has joined an elite club, equalling a world Test record by becoming only the second batter to score 50-plus runs in each of his first seven Test matches. Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel is the only other cricketer to have achieved this remarkable feat.

Mendis reached this milestone during the first day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Galle, scoring his eighth 50-plus in Tests. His achievement surpasses cricketing greats like Sunil Gavaskar (India), Saeed Ahmed (Pakistan), and Basil Butcher (West Indies), who all managed fifties in each of their first six Test matches.

This record follows Kamindu’s impressive series against England, where he scored 113, 74, and 64 in a series of stellar performances. After making his Test debut in 2022 against Australia with a solid 61, Mendis was sidelined for nearly two years but returned in 2024 with back-to-back centuries in Bangladesh.

In Galle, Mendis brought up his fifty off 73 balls and added a crucial 72-run partnership with Angelo Mathews. Sri Lanka now aims for a commanding total, while Mendis eyes his fourth Test century.