Milan Rathnayake of Sri Lanka has made a memorable debut in the world of Test cricket. He sets a new record for the greatest score by a number nine batter in men’s red-ball cricket. With six boundaries and two sixes in his impressive 72 runs off 135 balls, the 28-year-old has eclipsed the previous record of 71 runs set in 1983 by India’s Balwinder Sandhu against Pakistan. His brilliant innings ended when Shoaib Bashir got rid of him. It was a significant turning point in his ongoing international career. Rathnayake is now the highest-scoring Test debutant batting at number nine. He is also the third-highest scorer for Sri Lanka at this position or below.
Rathnayake’s Aggressive Inning
Rathnayake, who joined the crease in the middle of Sri Lanka’s innings at 113/7 in their Manchester Test match against England, partnered with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva vitally. By the end of the day’s play, Sri Lanka’s total had reached 236 thanks to their combined substantial score addition of 63 runs. England returned hard, finishing the day at 22/0, with openers Daniel Lawrence and Ben Duckett displaying early aggression. A thrilling second day appears to be in store thanks to England’s fearless ‘Bazball’ tactics.
Milan Rathnayake was born in Kurunegala, and his life has been defined by perseverance and diligence. The 28-year-old started his cricket career in Sri Lanka, moved to Australia to improve his game, and then returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The selectors took notice of him because of his exceptional performances in the 2023 domestic season. That included a bowling average of 29 and a highest total of 4-50 in an innings.
Sri Lankan Cricketer has played in 39 first-class matches, taking 79 wickets with a best score of 59. Pace-monger extraordinaire, he has been a regular in domestic cricket and has long been a candidate for selection to the national team. In addition to his achievements in first-class cricket, Rathnayake has taken 47 wickets in 45 List-A games and 24 wickets in 22 T20 matches.
The star batter needed 96 balls to make his half-century, but he played with amazing composure during his 72-ball innings. With this blow, he became the first-ever Sri Lankan rookie to score fifty runs in Test cricket while batting at number nine or below. Rathnayake’s achievement stands out because he was the 166th player to represent Sri Lanka in Test cricket.
Rathnayake’s Career-Best Score
Before Rathnayake’s achievement, Suresh Perera‘s 1998 unbeaten 43 against England at The Oval stood as the record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan rookie batting at No. 9 or lower. It is noteworthy that the 28-year-old’s remarkable 72-run haul at Old Trafford is his highest score in any professional cricket competition; his prior best was 59 in first-class games. Owing to his achievement on such a big stage, supporters of Sri Lankan cricket are excited to watch him break more personal records in the future.
The Sri Lankan batter hit two more spectacular sixes throughout his innings. While the second cleared wide long-off against Joe Root, the first went over long-on off Shoaib Bashir. In Test cricket, he is now the only debutant from Sri Lanka to knock two sixes when batting at No. 9 or lower. Rathnayake’s innings also holds the record for the most runs scored by a debutant at Old Trafford, surpassing Paul Allott’s two-inning total of 66 runs against Australia in 1981.
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