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Kusal Mendis, on Thursday, April 27, registered the fourth-highest score by a Sri Lankan batter in Test cricket on home soil.

Mendis scored 245 runs off 291 balls with 18 fours and 11 sixes against Ireland in the second Test against Ireland at the Galle International Stadium.

Mahela Jayawardene holds the record for the highest score when he notched 374 runs against South Africa back in July 2006 at the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo. Sanath Jayasuriya’s score of 340 against India at the same venue back in August 1997 is the second-highest by a Sri Lankan batter on home soil. Kumar Sangakkara’s score of 287 against South Africa in 2006 is the third-highest.

The overseas batters with scores higher than Mendis’ are West Indies’ Chris Gayle (333 against Sri Lanka in November 2010) and Stephen Fleming (274 not out against Sri Lanka in April 2003).

Mendis also became only the fourth No.3 Sri Lankan batter to score a double hundred, along with Jayawardene, Roshan Mahanama and Sangakkara. Mendis’ 245 is also the fourth-highest score by a Sri Lankan No.3 in Tests, after Sangakkara’s 319, 287 and 280 in 2014, 2006 and 2004 respectively.

Mendis also fell tantalisingly short of equalling Wasim Akram’s record of most sixes in a Test innings (12). Mendis, Nathan Astle, Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum (2) and Ben Stokes have hit 11 sixes in a Test innings.

As far as Mendis is concerned, he is also 62 runs short of scoring 4000 runs in Test cricket. In 109 innings from 58 Tests, the right-handed batter has notched 3938 runs with nine centuries to show for his efforts.