Kusal Mendis clobbers his fourth ODI fifty against Afghanistan: Stats
Kusal Mendis was one of the highlights for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan in the second ODI in Pallekele. While Mendis smoked a 65-ball 61, he should have carried on and scored a big hundred. However, it was his 28th ODI fifty which was studded with six boundaries and a solitary maximum. The hosts were 147/4 when Mendis departed before eventually managing 308/6.
An authoritative knock from Mendis
Mendis came to the crease early on after Pathum Nissanka's dismissal. Soon, Avishka Fernando was also removed. Later, Mendis added a 103-run partnership with wicket-keeper batter Sadeera Samarawickrama for the third wicket. The duo scored the runs at a good pace and steadied the SL innings. But once Samarawickrama was dismissed, Mendis followed him to the pavilion. Eventually, he was dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai.
Mendis surpasses 3,700 ODI runs
Mendis has compiled 3,715 runs from his 126 ODIs at an average of 32.87. In addition to the 28 fifties, he owns three centuries in ODI cricket. Notably, he has amassed 380 runs against the Afghans in 12 matches at an average of 38 (50s: 4). As per ESPNcricinfo, Mendis has surpassed 1,800 runs (1,857) at home. Meanwhile, he owns 2,437 runs in Asia.
Second-highest runs for SL in ODIs since 2023
Mendis has been superb for the Lankan Lions in recent times, especially in ODI cricket. He is the second-highest run-getter for SL in ODIs since the start of 2023. He owns 1,099 runs from 36 ODIs at an average of 35.45 in this period. He has clobbered eight fifties and a solitary ton. Mendis is only behind Nissanka's tally of 1,379 runs since 2023.
A summary of the SL innings
Batting first, SL lost their openers within the first 10 overs. From there, Samarawickrama and Mendis stitched a 108-run stand. Both batters slammed fifties but couldn't convert it into a hundred. Later, Charith Asalanka and Janith Liyanage added 111 runs together, taking the total beyond the 250-run mark. Asalanka continued his exploits and added another 50 runs with Wanindu Hasaranga, helping SL post 308/6.
