After 104 T20I innings without a stumping, Kusal Mendis finally succumbed to spin in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but his tournament brilliance remains undiminished.
Kusal Mendis endured an unfamiliar moment during Sri Lanka’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Zimbabwe, as he was stumped for the first time in his T20 International career after 104 innings. The rare dismissal came against Ryan Burl, who produced a cleverly disguised delivery to unsettle the usually assured top order batter.
Burl tossed the ball generously on a fullish length outside off stump. It drifted invitingly before sharply turning away off the surface. Mendis, shaping for a commanding cover drive, was beaten by both turn and bounce. The ball slipped past the outside edge and wicketkeeper Clive Marumani executed a clean stumping as Mendis lost balance and was stranded outside his crease. He walked back for 14 off 20 balls at a strike rate of 70, without a boundary, marking an unusually quiet contribution.
Despite the setback, Mendis remains one of the standout performers of the tournament. Earlier in the T20 World Cup 2026, he became only the fifth player to score three consecutive half centuries, joining Mahela Jayawardene, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and KL Rahul in elite company.
