With his batting average of 92.16, Kamindu Mendis finished the second innings of Sri Lanka’s 113-run loss against England in Manchester. He said at Lord’s before of Thursday’s second Test that it is due to a straightforward maxim: “Do basic things, and try to keep calm.” It is the second-highest score in Test history among players with more than 500 runs.
Due to a positive Covid test, Kamindu replaced Dhananjaya de Silva for his debut against Australia two years ago. He eventually returned to the team earlier this year and hit twin hundreds against Bangladesh in Sylhet, but he had to wait for another chance after making 61 in an innings triumph.
“I knew that the batting was packed, but what I tried to do was to do as best as I could in the chance that I had,” Kamindu told reporters on Tuesday.
“I don’t think that was a mistake, but I had to leave the squad after that. A squad needs to be balanced, and the only reason I joined that side was because Dhananjaya had Covid. I had to give way to him when he came back. That is reasonable.
He continued to be a squad player during his two-year leave and claimed to have gained a great deal from it. “Even though I didn’t get to play, I was in the squad and travelling with the team, pretty much every tour,” he explained. “Going on so many tours with experienced players on those tours also helped me play well in my first few innings.”
In Manchester, Kamindu got Chris Woakes to bat behind him for 12 in the first innings, but he made 113 in the second and had partnerships of 78 and 117 with Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, respectively. “I couldn’t muster any runs in the first inning. The weather was difficult,” he remarked. “We were surprised by how cold it was. It was the best we could have done as a team.
“When I went to bat, Angie aiya and Chandi aiya gave me a lot of support.” Chandi Aiya deserves special recognition since his ability to score runs while playing through a finger injury was crucial to the team’s success. In order for me to reach100, he was a huge supporter, and their expertise was quite beneficial. They informed me halfway with what they knew.”
Answering queries about his average, he dismissed them and disclosed that his batting is based on a straightforward philosophy: “I do basic things, and try to keep calm in the middle”. “My goal for the day was to give the squad my best effort. To contribute as much as I can to my team—whether it is through fielding, bowling, or hitting—is basically all I have in mind.”
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Before embarking on this tour, Kamindu had never visited England. He stated that this week will achieve a childhood goal of his: “I’ve always wanted to play a test match at Lord’s.” “I believe that goal is shared by all players; it’s not just mine. I’ve managed to arrive there. It will mean even more to us if we can win this game.”
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