Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando made merry before rain arrived in the first of the three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Dambulla on Wednesday, November 13. Mendis ended a four-year wait for an ODI hundred, notching up his highest score in the 50-over format of the game at the highest level.
Avishka Fernando, who was under pressure after a series of failures against West Indies in October, also ended a three-year wait for an ODI hundred, hitting 100 in 115 deliveries. | SL vs NZ, 1st ODI Scorecard |
Thanks to the 206-run stand for the second wicket between Kusal and Avishka, Sri Lanka posted 324 for 5 in 49.2 overs.
It was a much-needed big score for Kusal Mendis, who was due a big score in the format for a long time. Kusal had hit 31 hundreds in his 136-match career in ODis but managed only three hundreds before Wednesday. However, he made up for it by breaking a long-standing Sri Lankan record.
With his highest score of 143, Kusal Mendis went past Sanath Jayasuriya in the list of Sri Lankan batters with highest scores in ODIs against New Zealand. Jayasuriya had scored 140 in 143 balls against New Zealand in Bloemfontein in 1994 and it was emulated by Thisara Perera in Mount Maunganui in 2019.
HIGHEST SCORES FOR SRI LANKANS IN ODIS VS NZ
1. Kusal Mendis – 143 (128 balls) in Dambulla in 2024
2. Sanath Jaysuriya – 140 (143 balls) in Bloemfontein in 1994
3. Thisara Perera – 140 (4 balls) in Mount Maunganui in 2019
4. Sanath Jayasuirya – 120 (125 balls) in Bloemfontein in 2003
It was also one of those rare occasions in which two batters from the team scored a hundred in the same innings in an ODI match.
Kusal Mendis hit 17 boundaries and 2 sixes while Avishka hit 9 boundaries and 2 sixes as the two batters punished the New Zealand attack that struggled to get used to the conditions.
It was a young bowling attack led by Mitchell Santner as the BlackCaps rested most of their big names in the fag end of their subcontinent journey this season. Spinners Santner, Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell managed just 2 wickets between them. Pacer Jacob Duffy stood out with 3 wickets for 41 runs in 8.2 overs.
Sri Lanka have been dominant at home as they defeated West Indies in an ODI series last month. Sri Lanka, under Sanath Jayasuriya’s coaching, also beat India 2-0 in an ODI series in July.
