Sri Lanka batter closes in on Don Bradman and major Test records

Kamindu Mendis has the second-highest Test average after Don Bradman for batters with a minimum of 10 innings

Kamindu Mendis scored a century against New Zealand to take his Test average into the 80s (AFP via Getty Images)

Kamindu Mendis continued his remarkable start to his Test match career, scoring his fourth century in just seven Test matches.

After receiving a promotion from number seven to number five following his prolific form against England earlier in the summer, Mendis scored another century against New Zealand on 18 September as he helped his side fight back from 106 for four to 302 for seven at the close of play.

Against the kiwis, Mendis scored a fluent 173-ball 114, taking his total to 809 runs in 11 innings, averaging 80.90 in the format, the highest for any batter after Sir Don Bradman, with a minimum of 10 innings.

However, Wisden does not count any batter in their official list before they have a minimum of 20 innings. Although only Bradman has a higher average batting at number five or lower for a minimum of 10 innings in Test cricket.

Mendis has scored a half-century in every Test match he has played so far (AFP via Getty Images)

The current player with the highest average was Steve Smith, who averages 56.97 after 109 Test matches, and Adam Voges stood second on the list having played in 20 matches averaging 61.87 between 2015 and 2016.

The first Sri Lankan on the list was Kumar Sangakkara who scored 12,400 runs at 57.40 after 134 matches played across 15 years at the start of the century.

Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka against Australia at Galle in 2022, and batting at six he scored 61 as the home side won by an innings and 39 runs. But instead of kick-starting his career, it started a 20-month absence from the national side.

Since his recall, Mendis, aged 25, has scored more than 800 runs after playing 10 innings in seven matches so far this calendar year.

Mendis impressed during Sri Lanka’s three-Test tour of England (Getty Images)

Mendis has also recorded a score of more than 50 once in each of his first seven Tests, a record he shares with Saud Shakeel from Pakistan, who achieved the same feat last year.

But because of his number of half-centuries, which have come in seven Tests, should he continue in the same vein of form he could challenge the record for 50s in consecutive Test matches, which is jointly held by AB de Villiers and Joe Root who have done so in 12 successive games.

The Sri Lankan middle-order batter also stands close to breaking another record, becoming the fastest to reach 1,000 Test runs. The current record stands at 12 Test matches, and is jointly held by Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes.

Mendis could add his name to that list, but in order to reach the milestone in 11 Tests he would need to score at least 191 runs in the second innings against New Zealand.

Were he to score 50 or more in the second innings he would join India great Sunil Gavaskar on nine scores of more than 50 - the most by any batter in his first seven Tests. Only three players, Bradman, plus West Indies duo George Headley and Weekes, have scored five hundreds in their first seven Tests.