DDS and Kamindu join the select band

• Score century in each innings of a Test match
• Only the third pair in Test history to achieve the feat

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva (aka DDS) and team mate Kamindu Mendis became only the sixth and seventh players from Sri Lanka to score a century in each innings of a Test match. They achieved this unique feat in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh at Sylhet and on both occasions they were made under tremendous pressure with Sri Lanka not too happily placed.

In the first innings they came together with Sri Lanka reeling at 83-5 and put on a record double century stand that lifted the score to 280. De Silva and Mendis made identical scores of 102 each. In the second innings, Sri Lanka were once again in trouble at 126-6 when the pair came to the rescue with a partnership that yielded 173 for the seventh wicket enabling the team to extend their overall lead beyond the 500-run mark. De Silva on this occasion was dismissed for 108, but Mendis went on to score a career best 164 in only his second Test.

They became only the third pair in Test history to achieve this feat in the same match. The first instance was by Australian duo Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell against New Zealand at Wellington in 1974. Ian scored 145 and 121, and his younger brother Greg made 247* and 133. Pakistan pair Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq repeated the achievement 40 years later against Australia at Abu Dhabi in 2014. Azhar scored 109 and 100*, and Misbah 101 and 101*.  

Five Sri Lankan players had accomplished this feat before this pair, the first being Duleep Mendis who made identical scores of 105 in each innings of a Test against India at Chepauk in 1982. He was followed nine years later by Asanka Gurusinha who scored 119 and 102 against New Zealand at Hamilton. Six years later Aravinda de Silva achieved the feat twice within a period of four months of each other scoring 138* and 103* against Pakistan at SSC in April, 1997 and repeating it against India at the same venue with 146 and 120 in August.

Tillakaratne Dilshan became the fourth Sri Lankan cricketer to join the elite band when he scored 162 and 143 against Bangladesh at Chattogram in 2009. Bangladesh were again at the receiving end of Kumar Sangakkara’s broad bat when the left-hander joined De Silva as the only Lankan batsmen to have performed the feat twice in their careers. Sangakkara scored 142 and 105 at Galle in 2013 and followed it up with a monumental 319 and 105 at Chattogram in 2014.

De Silva’s feat is unique because he is the first Sri Lankan to do so as captain. If he can convert it into a win, it will be only the second occasion that Sri Lanka will win a Test of the nine occasions their batsmen have made a century in each innings. The only occasion they have done that was when they beat Bangladesh by 465 runs at Chattogram in 2009 when Dilshan made twin centuries. The other six instances the match ended in a draw.

CENTURY IN EACH INNINGS OF A TEST FOR SRI LANKA

105 & 105 – Duleep Mendis, v India (Chepauk) 1982

119 & 102 – Asanka Gurusinha, v New Zealand (Hamilton) 1991

138* & 103* - Aravinda de Silva, v Pakistan (SSC) 1997

146 & 120 – Aravinda de Silva, v India (SSC) 1997

162 & 143 – Tillakaratne Dilshan, v Bangladesh (Chattogram) 2009

142 & 105 – Kumar Sangakkara, v Bangladesh (Galle) 2013

319 & 105 – Kumar Sangakkara, v Bangladesh (Chattogram) 2014

102 & 108 – Dhananjaya de Silva, v Bangladesh (Sylhet) 2024

102 & 164 - Kamindu Mendis, v Bangladesh (Sylhet), 2024