da premier bet： He rewrote the record books, piled on runs for fun, and once again put Sri Lanka in a position of dominance

da mrbet： Madushka Balasuriya27-Sep-2024Grab the popcorn, guys, another Kamindu Mendis century/milestone/diss track has dropped.It’s eight fifties in eight straight Tests now, five centuries in 13 Test innings – his latest, 182 not out, being his best yet – making him the fastest Asian to that feat, and oh, he’s also the third-fastest ever to do so equalling Don Bradman.Wait, he’s not done yet? Oh yeah, he reached 1000 Test runs, the third-fastest to do that too – again equalling Bradman.Related

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All of which makes the fact he was dropped for two years from the Test side after making a half-century on debut against Australia in 2022 kinda hilarious. One could question the selectors’ thinking, but at this point maybe we should be grateful. I mean, the guy really does make us all look bad.New Zealand for one were definitely fed up with his antics, with throws from the deep after a point resembling an angsty teen asked to play catch with his absentee father. Just a token gesture, waiting for the misery to be brought to a hopefully swift end.Even the weather gods seemed to have been stunned into inaction, perhaps taken by his majestic drives on the up. See, there’s actually been an extreme weather warning issued for the entirety of the Galle district, but while grey clouds shielded the sun across the day’s proceedings, the rain never arrived.Sure, it was there overnight – quick shoutout to the always excellent Galle ground staff for sorting out the covers blanketed in rainwater promptly – and it had definitely arrived all around Galle, and probably will again later in the evening. But in the middle, the mugginess from the previous day had dissipated, replaced by a comforting breeze, all seemingly to make Kamindu’s day of fun all that more pleasant.But all these records and achievements aside, perhaps the best thing about Kamindu is that his mere presence has forced a quiet transformative change in the playing XI.

“Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records”Angelo Mathews

It wasn’t long before his stirring form in 2024 resulted in a clamour for him to be pushed up the order. The solution, therefore, was to push Dinesh Chandimal up to No. 3 and give the gloves to Kusal Mendis, who in turn would go down to No. 7. As for Kamindu, he would push up to No. 5.It may be a small sample size since the switch, but the results speak for themselves.Kamindu, of course, hasn’t missed a beat, merely continuing from his performances at No. 7. If anything, he’s gotten better, only being deprived of a maiden double-century by virtue of a pre-planned declaration. “At tea, the talk was to bat for 15 overs before declaring,” Angelo Mathews explained after the day’s play.Chandimal’s flexibility in approach, meanwhile, has seen him thrive at three since taking it up at the start of the series – 30, 61 and 116 in three innings – while Kusal has flourished at seven, where his natural attacking instincts can be the difference between a competitive total and a winning one.Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis added an unbroken 200-stand for the sixth wicket•Associated PressIt might have been a welcome change as well for a batter that has long been seen as underperforming. Kusal’s unbeaten 106 was his third century since the start of 2023, but it was his first against opposition that wasn’t Ireland or Zimbabwe since December 2018. In terms of strike rate, it was also his fastest at 71.14 (excluding his centuries against Ireland).”All three of them have responded well, and it worked perfectly – most importantly for the team,” Mathews said. “It’s all about the team, it’s all about the balance. And it’s all about every individual, where they’re suited to playing in the team. I think it all worked really well, and it was a very good decision by everyone.”And for Kamindu? Well, at this point there’s not much more that can be said. The most striking aspect of his batting has been the seemingly effortless repeatability of it, and a measuredness that many only find much later in their careers. Something Mathews himself touched on.”Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records,” Matthews said. “He has been unbelievable, he has got the skill, he’s got the temperament, he’s got the courage, he’s got everything that a batter and cricketer needs.”His maturity also belies his age. None of us were able to do the kinds of things he’s doing at that point in our careers. Definitely one of the best batters I have seen in recent years.”This purple patch of course isn’t going to go on forever, but for now, more than speculating on how long he can carry on this form, maybe we should all just sit back and enjoy the show.