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Sri Lanka players to score fastest hundred (Image Credit: Twitter)
In the ongoing Sri Lanka vs Pakistan game of the ODI World Cup 2023, the Lankan Lions' opening batter, Kusal Mendis has hit the fastest hundred for the 1996 winners. The former champions won the toss and elected to bat first. Since then, apart from a couple of drop catches from the 1992 winners, things have gone dreamy for the team.
Despite losing Kusal Perera early, Mendis has given a great platform to the team. Meanwhile, during his innings, the right-hander has hit the fastest hundred for the Lions in ODI World Cup history. With this, he has broken long-standing records of the Lankan legends that were made a while back. In this listicle, we will discuss the three fastest hundreds by Sri Lankans.
Three fastest hundreds by Sri Lanka players in ODI World Cups
- Kusal Mendis
The right-hander came out to bat after Kusal Perera was caught behind early. This wicket proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Blue Brigade. Coming off a quick 76 against a strong South Africa batting line-up, the former U19 player has hit a 65-ball hundred against the Green Brigade.
He ended up getting 122 runs in just 77 balls before being caught at boundary by Imam-ul-Haq. At this point, the Lions have gotten 296/5 in 41.4 overs. The team is looking set to get past 360-370 runs, which will be challenging for Pakistan.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
In his last ODI World Cup eight years back, the left-hander scored a hundred in just 70 balls against England. In the game, the Three Lions won the toss and elected to bat first. They amassed 309/6 with Joe Root scoring a hundred and Jos Buttler playing a cameo.
In reply, the Lions had a great start with the openers, Tillakratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne putting together 100 runs for the first wicket. After the former's wicket, the former skipper came and hit a 70-ball hundred. He ended up getting an unbeaten 117 runs in 86 balls and helped the team win the game by nine wickets.
3. Kumar Sangakkara
The wicketkeeper batter stuck another fastest hundred in the same tournament. In the game against Bangladesh, the 2014 T20 World Cup winner hit a 73-ball hundred. His side had won the toss and elected to bat first. They had a decent start with Thirimanne and Dilshan putting together 122 runs in 24.3 overs. After the wicket of the former, Kumar came in and scored an unbeaten 105 off 76 balls. The team reached 332/1 and winning the game by 92 runs.