Stats: Dinesh Chandimal becomes 4th Sri Lankan to score 5 consecutive 50s in ODIs

Sri Lankan vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal has been one of the key batsmen in the inexperienced batting line-up. Despite Sri Lanka losing the first ODI match, he played a brilliant innings as he remained unbeaten on 80, which helped Sri Lanka to post a decent total of 227 on the board.

Chandimal is one match away from being the first Sri Lankan and the sixth cricketer overall to score 6 back-to-back scores of 50 or more in international cricket. Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad is at the top of the record book with 9 consecutive scores over fifty and 5 of them is tied up with 6 consecutive 50 plus scores against their name – West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge (in 1979-80), Andrew Jones of New Zealand (1988-89), Australia’s Mark Waugh (1999), Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf (2003) and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (2015).

Sri Lankan legends, Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda De Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakkara made 5, but failed to make it 6 consecutive 50s. Can the 26-year old Chandimal create history? The answer will be known once he walks out to bat for the second ODI on August 24 at the Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

In the first ODI, injury prevented Chandimal from wicket-keeping as the Sri Lankan skipper, Angelo Mathews also mentioned doubts over Chandimal featuring for the second ODI. “We’ll see how Chandi (Chandimal) goes in the next couple of days and we’ll make a decision on that,” Mathews said.

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Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, all of the 5 half-centuries had went in vain as far as the team result is concerned. Sri Lanka lost 4 out of the 5 matches and the other one was washed-off due to rain.

Here is the list of cricketers with 6 or more consecutive 50s in ODIs: