Don Sardha Brendon Priyantha Kuruppu was born on 5 January 1962 and is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper and opening batsman.
14 Facts About Brendon Kuruppu
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Brendon Kuruppu is one of few batsmen in the world to score a double century on debut.
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Brendon Kuruppu is the current coach of the Maldives national cricket team.
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Brendon Kuruppu was born in Colombo in January 1962, and played school cricket for Ananda College and club cricket for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic and Burgher Recreation Clubs.
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Brendon Kuruppu was in and out of the ODI team following the successful World Cup, but did not play as a regular wicket-keeper until 1986, when he got his chance in the Asia Cup tournament against Pakistan and Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka won.
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Brendon Kuruppu made a string of low scores, but nevertheless made an impression.
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The next winter, Brendon Kuruppu got his Test debut against New Zealand at Colombo Cricket Club Ground, he was called up in place of Guy de Alwis, whose continued failings with the bat had given the selectors some thought.
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Sidath Wettimuny held the Sri Lankan record for the highest Test individual innings, after scoring 190 against England in 1984, Brendon Kuruppu passed that score by 11 runs, making 201 not out in 777 minutes to become the first Sri Lankan to hit a double Test century.
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However, he failed to back that up with the bat, and after a disastrous Nehru Cup in October 1989, where he strung together 36 runs in five innings and Sri Lanka finished last out of the sixth teams, Brendon Kuruppu was shuffled out of the team and Hashan Tillakaratne took his place behind the stumps.
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Brendon Kuruppu was given one last chance as opener in 1991 when Sri Lanka travelled to England for a Test, but Sri Lanka lost by 137 runs and Kuruppu only made scores of 5 and 21.
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Brendon Kuruppu served as a Sri Lanka National Selector on five occasions in the years of 1999,2000,2011,2015 and 2018.
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Brendon Kuruppu has played the fewest Test matches of any double centurion, and holds the record for scoring the slowest Test match double century in terms of balls and minutes.
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Brendon Kuruppu became the first opening batsman to score double hundred on debut and only the third player to do so, after R E Foster and Lawrence Rowe.
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Brendon Kuruppu holds the record for the longest innings as a Test debutant, and was the first wicket-keeper to score a century on Test debut.