Kamindu Mendis put himself in third place on the list of batters to aggregate 1000 runs in the least number of Test cricket innings as he made an unbeaten 182 in the first innings of Sri Lanka’s total of 602 for 5 declared in the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on Friday.
Mendis reached 1000 runs in his 13th innings after England’s Herbert Sutcliffe in 1925 and Everton Weekes from the West Indies in 1948 reached the feat in just 12 Test innings.
Australia’s Don Bradman also needed 13 Test innings to reach 1000 runs.
But the second Test has turned out to be a one-sided contest in the first three days as New Zealand were bowled out for 88 in the first innings and following on were 199 for 5 in the second innings still needing 315 runs to avoid an innings defeat at Galle that has been a nightmare venue for the Kiwis.
Glenn Phillips (32 not out) and Tom Blundell (47 not out) stayed on with an unbroken stand of 78 runs for the sixth wicket on a slow pitch.
Sri Lanka had instant success after enforcing the follow-on when opener Tom Latham fell in the first over bowled by spinner Nishan Peiris without scoring a run and the Kiwis will also have the hardest time facing up to left arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya who plucked six wickets in the first innings.
