Sri Lanka Cricket has seen many star players who have graced the game with their legendary performances. Players like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and many more are the stalwarts of Sri Lankan Cricket. However, in the past few years, the Island nation hasn’t seen any big player who seems poised to carry on this legacy.
But it seems like the wait is over for Sri Lanka as they have a player who has the potential to become the next Sri Lankan legend. We are talking about Kamindu Mendis who is celebrating his 26th birthday today. The left-handed batter has already scored 1004 runs in the Test format at an impressive average of 65.02 and that too in just 13 innings. Mendis’ tally included five centuries and four half-centuries which shows how great is his conversion rate and his ability to score big.
He recently appeared in a 2-match Test series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand and helped the team whitewash the Kiwis 2-0. Mendis smashed centuries in both Tests and had an opportunity to score a double hundred in the 2nd Test but skipper Dhananjaya de Silva decided to declare the innings on 602 runs and Mendis went not out on 182 runs. He also had a great outing during Sri Lanka’s tour of England where he displayed his batting prowess and played some terrific knocks against the hosts.
Interestingly, Mendis is an all-rounder and bowls left-arm break. He has taken 3 wickets in Tests so far. He comes to bat at no. 5 which makes Sri Lanka’s middle order pretty strong. His journey to the international stage has been nothing short of inspiring. As Sri Lanka looks to rebuild and rejuvenate its cricketing fortunes, Mendis is poised to be at the forefront of this transformation.
Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.