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Kusal Mendis Hits Fastest World Cup Century By A Sri Lankan, Here's Full List

image-lnk8gxzbKusal Mendis struck a glorious ton [AP]

Kusal Mendis on Tuesday (October 10) etched himself in the record books with an unprecedented century in Sri Lankan cricket. The elegant young batter produced Lankan Lions' fastest ever hundred in men's World Cup history during the league stage encounter of the marquee tournament in Hyderabad.

Mendis hammered the much-vaunted Pakistani bowling unit to reach his milestone in just 65 deliveries and finished with a scintillating knock of 122 from 77 to surpass the legendary Kumar Sangakkara, who previously held the esteemed record for eight long years. 

Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka skipper and their bonafide batting great, bagged his special feat during the 2015 edition of the World Cup. The former wicketkeeper-batter produced his historic milestone during the group-stage encounter against England and reached three figures in just 70 balls. It required a tremendous knock from Mendis to edge past one of the game's greatest players. 

Mendis smashed Shaheen Afridi and the rest for a memorable innings at No.3. The right-hander belted the Pakistani attack all over the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, with his knock featuring 14 fours and 6 sixes to nearly take the game away from Sri Lanka's more-fancied opposition. 

Fastest World Cup Century For Sri Lanka

  • Kusal Mendis- 65 balls
  • Kumar Sangakkara- 70 balls
  • Kumar Sangakkara- 73 balls
  • Mahela Jayawardene- 80 balls
  • Mahela Jayawardene- 84 balls


Kusal Mendis Bags Special Sri Lankan World Cup Record 

Before Mendis, Sangakkara held not just the fastest World Cup century made by a Sri Lankan male but also the second-quickest hundred made by a player from the Lankan Isles in the quadrennial event. The left-hander's previous best before the special England knock also came during the 2015 edition versus Bangladesh. 

Mendis produced an even more brutal assault than what the legendary Sri Lankan batter managed in his heyday at the global stage. The talented batter took the sting out of the Pakistani bowling unit by going hell for leather against the new ball and unleashed a mauling they never recovered from on the day. 

The young gun dented the Pakistani spirits and took the game on with great aggression and freedom despite the early loss of Sri Lankan opener Kusal Perera for a duck. Just when Pakistan would've expected to pile on the pressure and build inroads, Mendis gave them a famous battering in the middle. 

The cricketer bagged a feat worth recalling. However, his is still not the fastest overall World Cup century, an eye-catching record that now rests with South African prodigy Aiden Markram. Markram smashed Sri Lanka earlier in the competition for a 49-ball century and took the numero uno spot.