Kusal Mendis only played sixteen first-class matches before playing for the national side.
64 Facts About Kusal Mendis
1.
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In 2013, Mendis was adjudged as the schoolboy cricketer of the year and had captained the national youth and the Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa teams in his formative years.
3.
Kusal Mendis was the leading run-scorer for Galle in the tournament, where he scored 182 runs in six matches.
4.
In 2020, Kusal Mendis scored his maiden first-class double-century against Nondescripts Cricket Club and helped to draw the match.
5.
In October 2020, Kusal Mendis was drafted by the Kandy Tuskers for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League.
6.
On 7 February 2023, Kusal Mendis was signed to Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 cricket tournament in South Africa.
7.
Against Paarl Royals, he scored 80 runs from 41 deliveries hitting 8 boundaries and four sixes, where Capitals won the match by 59 runs and Kusal Mendis won the player of the match award.
8.
In 2014, Kusal Mendis was named as the captain for the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
9.
Kusal Mendis scored 13 runs in the first innings and 39 runs in the second innings.
10.
Kusal Mendis made his One Day International debut against Ireland on 16 June 2016, and scored his maiden ODI fifty.
11.
On 28 July 2016, Kusal Mendis scored his maiden Test century during the first Test against Australia at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium.
12.
Kusal Mendis became the youngest Sri Lankan to score a century against Australia and the highest score against Australia on home soil.
13.
Kusal Mendis won the Man of the Match award for his performance.
14.
Sri Lanka won the match by one run and reached the final, where Kusal Mendis won the man of the match award.
15.
On 28 March 2017, in the second ODI against Bangladesh, Kusal Mendis scored his maiden ODI century, with 102 runs.
16.
On 8 June 2017, against India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Kusal Mendis scored a match-winning 89 runs and made a 159-run stand for the second wicket with Danushka Gunathilaka.
17.
On 30 June 2017, against Zimbabwe, Kusal Mendis passed 1,000 ODI runs, becoming the joint second-fastest with Upul Tharanga for Sri Lanka to achieve this.
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However, Kusal Mendis was dismissed for 196 runs, four runs short of his maiden double century.
19.
Kusal Mendis opened the innings with Danushka Gunathilaka and they added 53 for the first wicket in just 4.5 overs.
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The chase of 193 is recorded as the highest T20I chase by Sri Lanka as well and Kusal Mendis was adjudged man of the match.
21.
Kusal Mendis was totally out of form during the 2018 Asia Cup, where he was dismissed for naught in both games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
22.
Kusal Mendis became only the second player after Virat Kohli to achieve the feat.
23.
Kusal Mendis finished 2018 as the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with 1,023 runs at an average of 46.50, including three centuries and four fifties.
24.
Kusal Mendis made 80 runs off 163 deliveries in the match and had a strong partnership with eventual double-centurion Angelo Mathews.
25.
On 25 February 2020, against the West Indies, Kusal Mendis scored his second ODI century.
26.
In July 2021, following the outcome of the incident, Kusal Mendis was suspended from playing in international cricket for one year.
27.
On 20 February 2022, Kusal Mendis scored a match-winning sixth T20I half-century against Australia.
28.
However, on 9 July 2022, in the second Test, Kusal Mendis scored 85 runs in a partnership of 152 with Dimuth Karunaratne.
29.
On 1 September 2022, against Bangladesh Kusal Mendis scored his 7th T20I half-century.
30.
Finally, Sri Lanka won the match and Kusal Mendis won the player of the match award for his performance.
31.
Against Bangladesh, Kusal Mendis made a match-winning knock of 60 runs and Sri Lanka finally chased the target of 183 runs with one wicket.
32.
However, Kusal Mendis had four clear chances and won by luck.
33.
On 6 September 2022 against India, Kusal Mendis scored his 8th T20I half-century.
34.
Kusal Mendis scored 57 runs and put up a strong 97-run partnership with Pathum Nissanka while chasing 173 runs.
35.
Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by 16 runs and qualified for Super 12, where Kusal Mendis won the Player of the match award for his performance.
36.
Finally, Sri Lanka won the match by 9 wickets and Kusal Mendis won the Player of the Match award.
37.
On 5 January 2023, against India, Kusal Mendis scored his 11th T20I half-century and eventually Sri Lanka won the match by 16 runs.
38.
In March 2023, in the first test against New Zealand, Kusal Mendis scored the fastest half-century and scored 87 off 83 balls.
39.
On 8 April 2023, in the third T20I match against New Zealand, Kusal Mendis scored his 12th T20I fifty in a losing cause.
40.
On 16 April 2023, in the first test match against Ireland, Kusal Mendis scored his 8th test century and put a 281-run partnership for the second wicket with Dimuth Karunaratne.
41.
Kusal Mendis scored 245 runs from 291 deliveries hitting 18 boundaries and 11 sixes.
42.
Finally, Sri Lanka won the match and the series, and Kusal Mendis won Player of the Series award for his performance.
43.
Kusal Mendis was appointed vice-captain in April 2021 against Bangladesh ODI series.
44.
Kusal Mendis was appointed Vice-captain for the T20 series against England.
45.
Kusal Mendis scored 76 runs from 42 balls which included four boundaries and eight sixes.
46.
Kusal Mendis's knock went in vain as Sri Lanka lost the match in a huge margin.
47.
On 10 October 2023, against Pakistan, Kusal Mendis made his 3rd ODI century and scored 122 runs from 77 deliveries hitting 14 boundaries and 6 sixes.
48.
Kusal Mendis's efforts went in vain against Sri Lanka lost the match.
49.
Kusal Mendis was appointed as Sri Lanka's captain after regular skipper Dasun Shanaka was ruled out of the 2023 Cricket World Cup after suffering an injury in the game against Pakistan.
50.
Kusal Mendis scored just 9 runs in his first match as a captain of the Sri Lanka, as they lost to Australia by 5 wickets.
51.
Kusal Mendis led Sri Lanka to a famous win against England which they won by 8 wickets, although he scored only 11 runs.
52.
In September 2024 in the second test match against New Zealand, Kusal Mendis scored his 10th century.
53.
Kusal Mendis made an unbeaten century partnership with Kamindu Mendis, where Sri Lanka posted a mammoth total of 602 in the first innings.
54.
Later, Kusal Mendis won the man of the match award for his batting performance.
55.
In December 2023, Kusal Mendis smashed a glass door at the Bloomfield Cricket Club pavilion after being dismissed for a 'duck' during an inter-club match.
56.
In March 2024, during an ODI against Bangladesh, Kusal Mendis, serving as the ODI captain, was fined for verbally abusing the umpires while shaking hands after the match.
57.
In July 2020, Kusal Mendis was involved in a fatal car accident in Panadura, near Colombo.
58.
Kusal Mendis was driving his SUV when he struck a 64-year-old man who was riding a bicycle.
59.
Kusal Mendis was arrested and taken into custody, and his vehicle was impounded by the police.
60.
Kusal Mendis has made 14 international centuries- 10 in Test cricket, and 5 in One Day International format.
61.
In July 2020, Kusal Mendis was arrested after being involved in a fatal road accident in Panadura.
62.
Kusal Mendis was driving a vehicle that hit an elderly cyclist, who later died in hospital.
63.
On 12 February 2021, Kusal Mendis married his wife in Colombo.
64.
In June 2022, Kusal Mendis' wife gave birth to a baby girl.