Kusal Mendis is a Sri Lankan cricketer who also captained them in various matches of the 2023 ODI World Cup. He is recognised as one of the best batsmen in Sri Lanka in the early 2020s.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Balapuwaduge Kusal Gimhan Mendis (popularly known as Kusal Mendis) was born on Thursday, 2 February 1995 (age 28 years; as of 2023) in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. His first cricket coach was Jayalath Apoonsu who passed away in November 2020.
A childhood picture of Kusal Mendis with his first cricket coach, Jayalath Apoonsu
He did his schooling at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa, Colombo where he played for school teams and later became a professional cricketer.
Kusal Mendis during his school days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest 42″, Waist 32″, Biceps 14″
Family
He belongs to a middle-class family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Dinesh Mendis, an autorickshaw driver, and his mother’s name is Maheshika Shivanthi. He has a younger brother named Omesh Mendis, a domestic cricketer, and a sister named Dilki Mendis who is married to Nipun Oshada De Silva.
Kusal Mendis (second from right) with his family members
Kusal Mendis with sister, Dilki Mendis, and younger brother, Omesh Mendis (right to left)
Kusal Mendis with his father, Dinesh Mendis and mother, Maheshika Shivanthi
Kusal Mendis’ sister, Dilki Mendis, Kusal Mendis, younger brother Omesh Mendis, and brother-in-law, Nipun Oshada De Silva (right to left)
Wife & Children
He got married to Nishelle Fernandz on 12 February 2021 in Colombo. Nishelle is around 2 years younger than Kusal Mendis as she was born on 18 May 1997.
Kusal Mendis with his wife, Nishelle Fernandz, on their wedding day
The couple has a daughter named Heyli (also spelt as Hailey) who was born on 20 June 2022 at the Ninewells Hospital (Pvt) Ltd. in Colombo.
Kusal Mendis with his wife, Nishelle Fernandz, and daughter, Heyli (Hayley)
Relationships/Affairs
Kusal Mendis met Nishelle Fernandz for the first time at a church during his teen years. They later developed a friendship, and she later became his girlfriend.
Kusal Mendis with Nishelle Fernandz (left)
Religion
He follows Christianity.
Signature
Kusal Mendis’ signature
Career
Domestic
Kusal Mendis played for his school team, Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa from 2010 to 2012 and for Sri Lanka Cricket Development Under-16s in the 2011-12 season.
Kusal Mendis with trophies and awards won in school-level tournaments
In the 2013-14 season, Mendis played for The Rest, Moors Sports Club, and Moors Sports Club Under-23. He played for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club in the Sri Lanka Club Championship and for Southgate in the Middlesex League in the 2014-15 season. He represented Sri Lanka Emerging Players, Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI, Kurunegala Warriors, Commercial Credit, and Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in the 2015-16 season.
Kusal Mendis during a domestic match
He played for Colombo Cricket Club from 2015 to 2021, Dambulla District in the 2017-18 season, Galle District in the 2018-19 season, Mohammedan Sporting Club in the 2020-21 season, Colombo District in the 2021-22 season, Sinhalese Sports Club and Sri Lanka Reds in 2022.
Kusal Mendis during his teenage years
International
Sri Lanka Under-19 & Under-23
He started playing for the Sri Lanka Under-19 and Under-23 teams in 2013 and captained them in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup.
Kusal Mendis when he was playing for Sri Lanka Under-19 team
Test
Kusal Mendis made his test debut on 22 October 2015 against West Indies at P Sara Oval, Colombo and scored 13 runs in the first innings and 39 runs in the second innings. In May 2016, during the test against England, he scored his first test fifty with 53 runs during the second innings. In July 2016, he made his first test century with 176 runs in the second innings against Australia.
Kusal Mendis playing in a test match
In the 2018 calendar year, he scored 1023 runs at an average of 46.50 with 3 hundreds and 4 fifties; he also took most catches (21) in the test matches in 2018. In April 2023, he made his first test double hundred with 245 runs against Ireland.
ODI
He played his debut ODI match on 16 June 2016 against Ireland at The Village, Dublin and made his maiden ODI fifty with 51 runs. On 28 March 2017, he scored his first ODI century with 102 runs against Bangladesh.
Kusal Mendis receiving his cap on his ODI debut
ODI World Cups
He played 7 matches in the 2019 ODI World Cup held in England and scored 143 runs at an average of 20.43 and a strike rate of 67.14 with the highest score of 46 runs against England. In the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India, he scored 294 runs in 9 matches at an average of 32.67 and a strike rate of 113.95 with the highest score of 122 runs against Pakistan.
Kusal Mendis during the 2023 ODI World Cup
T20I
He made his T20I debut on 5 July 2016 against England at The Rose Bowl, Southampton and scored 21 runs. He scored his first T20I half-century on 15 February 2018 with 53 runs against Bangladesh. He was a member of the Sri Lanka team which won the 2022 Asia Cup.
Kusal Mendis with the 2022 Asia Cup Trophy
T20 World Cups
In the 2022 T20 World Cup held in Australia, he stood out as the highest runscorer for Sri Lanka with 223 runs in 8 matches at an average of 31.86 and a strike rate of 142.95 with the highest score of 79 runs against the Netherlands.
Kusal Mendis during the 2022 T20 World Cup
Captaincy
Kusal Mendis was appointed as the captain of Sri Lanka during the 2023 ODI World Cup after Dasun Shanaka got injured; he captained them in 7 matches of the World Cup, winning 2 and losing 5.
Jersey Number
He wears jersey number 13 for Sri Lanka during the international tournaments.
Kusal Mendis’ jersey number 13
Leagues
Lanka Premier League (LPL)
He played for Kandy Tuskers in the 2020 LPL season, the inaugural LPL season, and for Galle Gladiators in the 2021 LPL season and in the 2022 LPL season under Diamond A ($ 40,000; approx LKR 14 million) price category. In the 2023 LPL season, he was signed up by Dambulla Aura.
Kusal Mendis during a LPL match for Dambulla Aura
South African T20 (SA20) League
In September 2022, he was acquired by Pretoria Capitals for the 2022-23 SA20 season for R425,000 (approx. 8.925 million Sri Lankan rupees).
Kusal Mendis with Maheesh Theekshana (left) during the SA20 League
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
He was signed up by Chattogram Challengers for the 2024 BPL season.
Controversies
Road Accident
On the morning of 5 July 2020, around 5 am, he hit a 74-year-old cyclist near the 13th Mile post in Horethuduwa, Panadura who later died in the Panadura Hospital; the victim was a resident of Gorakapola and worked as a bus conductor. It was alleged that Avishka Fernando was also present in the Range Rover SUV at the time of the accident, and they left the person for around 40 minutes after hitting him before an ambulance came to the spot. Reportedly, Mendis later surrendered at the Panadura North Police Station following which he was arrested and released on bail on 6 July 2020 on the surety amount of LKR 1 million. [1]The Morning
Cricketer Kusal Mendis who was arrested yesterday following an accident involving his vehicle that killed a man at Horethuduwa, Panadura, released on bails after produce to court -Hiru #LKA #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/43z89c8e6G
— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) July 6, 2020
Banned for one year
In July 2021, Kusal Mendis, along with Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella, was banned for one year from international cricket and for six months from the domestic cricket for breaching the bio-secure bubble during the England tour and also imposed a fine of 10 million Sri Lankan rupees on the trio. They were caught on camera roaming the streets of Durham following which they were sent back to Sri Lanka midway through the series. [2]Hindustan Times On 7 January 2022, the ban was lifted, and he was allowed to play international cricket. [3]ICC
Kusal Mendis (in black) during the breach of the bio-secure bubble
Awards
- Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award in 2013
Kusal Mendis with Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award
- ODI Batsman of the Year Award at Dialog Cricket Awards in 2017
Kusal Mendis with ODI Batsman of the Year Award
Tattoos
Kusal Mendis has multiple tattoos inked on his both arms.
Kusal Mendis’ tattoos
A tattoo of Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis tattoos
Facts/Trivia
- His nicknames are Menda and King Menda.
- His batting style is right-handed, and his bowling style is right-arm leg spin. He plays as a top-order wicketkeeper-batsman.
Kusal Mendis doing a stumping as a wicket-keeper
- In the 2023 auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL), he went unsold for his base price of Rs 50 lakh. [4]Hindustan Times
- His favourite cricketer is the Indian legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
- Kusal Mendis often works out in the gym to maintain his fitness.
Kusal Mendis working out in the gym
- Many fans criticised him after the match against India in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Indian cricketer Virat Kohli made a record-equalling 49th ODI century during the match. When Mendis was asked if he would congratulate Kohli on his century, he asked why would he do that, which did not go well with many fans. Later, he clarified that he did not understand the question and said that Virat Kohli is a great batsman and has achieved a great feat. [5]The Economic Times
References
| ↑1 | The Morning |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Hindustan Times |
| ↑3 | ICC |
| ↑4 | Hindustan Times |
| ↑5 | The Economic Times |
