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A historic moment. Pathum Nissanka being congratulated by Niroshan Dickwella upon the former reaching the century in his debut Test on Wednesday (24) in Antigua[/caption]
The 22-year-old Galle-born right-handed batsman Pathum Nissanka Silva, who passed out from Isipathana College - Colombo, became only the fourth Sri Lankan batsman to score a Test century on debut on Wednesday (24) on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
Nissanka is the 110th to join the elite club of debut Test centurions in world cricket. There were 109 batsmen who had done the feat before Nissanka. The list includes many all-time greats of the game, such as W.G. Grace and Virender Sehwag.
At stumps on day four of the first Test on Wednesday, West Indies were 34/1 still needing 341 runs to make an unlikely victory on the final day Thursday.
Sri Lanka made 476 all out in their second innings to give the home team a massive target of 375 runs to win.
West Indies have successfully chased over 375 runs only twice in a Test before. In 2003, they have successfully chased 418 runs against Australia in Antigua to win a Test.
# First to make a century on Test debut
Charles Bannerman was the first to make the feat when he had scored 165 not out for Australia against England in 1877 in Melbourne in the first-ever Test of the world
# The four Sri Lankans who have so far scored a debut Test century
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Brendon Kuruppu, the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century (201 n.o.) on debut in 1987[/caption]
A historic moment. Pathum Nissanka being congratulated by Niroshan Dickwella upon the former reaching the century in his debut Test on Wednesday (24) in Antigua[/caption]
The 22-year-old Galle-born right-handed batsman Pathum Nissanka Silva, who passed out from Isipathana College - Colombo, became only the fourth Sri Lankan batsman to score a Test century on debut on Wednesday (24) on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
Nissanka is the 110th to join the elite club of debut Test centurions in world cricket. There were 109 batsmen who had done the feat before Nissanka. The list includes many all-time greats of the game, such as W.G. Grace and Virender Sehwag.
At stumps on day four of the first Test on Wednesday, West Indies were 34/1 still needing 341 runs to make an unlikely victory on the final day Thursday.
Sri Lanka made 476 all out in their second innings to give the home team a massive target of 375 runs to win.
West Indies have successfully chased over 375 runs only twice in a Test before. In 2003, they have successfully chased 418 runs against Australia in Antigua to win a Test.
# First to make a century on Test debut
Charles Bannerman was the first to make the feat when he had scored 165 not out for Australia against England in 1877 in Melbourne in the first-ever Test of the world
# The four Sri Lankans who have so far scored a debut Test century
[caption id="attachment_126310" align="alignleft" width="188"] Brendon Kuruppu, the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century (201 n.o.) on debut in 1987[/caption]
- Brendon Kuruppu (No. 53 in the list - 201 n.o. vs. New Zealand in 1987 at CCC, Colombo – Match drawn)
- Romesh Kaluwitharana (No. 57 - 132 n.o. vs. Australia in 1992 at SSC, Colombo – SL lost)
- Thilan Samaraweera (No. 70 - 103 n.o. vs. India in 2001 at SSC, Colombo – SL won)
- Pathum Nissanka (No. 110 - 103 vs. West Indies in 2021 in Antigua – match still on)