Kamindu Mendis equals Bradman as Sri Lanka command Galle test

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Kamindu Mendis matched Don Bradman as the joint third fastest player to 1,000 test runs as Sri Lanka tightened its grip on New Zealand in the second test on Friday.

Sri Lanka declared at 602-5 in its first innings and left New Zealand reeling at 22-2 by stumps. With three full days left to play, the Kiwis face a mountainous challenge to avoid a second defeat.

Kamindu reached the 1,000-run milestone in just his 13th test innings, sharing the honor with Bradman, who achieved the feat in 1930 against England at Headingley. Only England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies great Everton Weekes reached the landmark in fewer innings, doing so in 12 knocks.

In a career that has blossomed rapidly, Kamindu notched his fifth century before lunch. and second century in two tests. Later, with audacious flair, he brought up his 1,000th run by stepping down the track to Rachin Ravindra and smashing a towering six straight back over the bowler’s head.

This remarkable achievement made him not only the fastest Sri Lankan but also the quickest Asian to the milestone, surpassing the likes of Sri Lanka great Roy Dias (23 innings) and India’s Vinod Kambli (14).

The crowd’s celebrations were bittersweet, however, as Sri Lanka declared before Kamindu could reach his maiden double century. He was unbeaten on 182 off 250 balls, an innings laced with 16 boundaries and four massive sixes.

Kamindu found strong support from Kusal Mendis, who shrugged off recent struggles to post an undefeated 106, his 10th test century.

Demoted to No. 7 in the order after disappointing performances, Kusal responded with a measured innings, combining with Kamindu for an unbroken 200-run partnership, the highest sixth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against New Zealand on home soil. This partnership also set a record as the highest sixth-wicket stand in Galle, by any team, further cementing Sri Lanka’s dominance.

Earlier in the day, the hosts lost Angelo Mathews (88) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (44) in the morning session, but Kamindu's relentless march, paired with Kusal's defiance, ensured Sri Lanka remained firmly in the driver's seat, with thoughts of a 2-0 series sweep looming large.

New Zealand, meanwhile, missed crucial chances again to rein in Sri Lanka. Daryl Mitchell dropped Kamindu on 26 and Tom Blundell fluffing a straightforward stumping when he was on 113.

The misery continued for the Kiwis when Sri Lanka struck early in their innings.

Asitha Fernando set the tone, dismissing Tom Latham in the very first over with a sharp catch at gully. Prabath Jayasuriya then removed the other opener Devon Conway, snapped up at slip by De Silva.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

New Zealand's Devon Conway leaves the field after losing his wicket during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Asitha Fernando celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's Tom Latham during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis celebrates his century during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis celebrates his fifty runs as Kamindu Mendis watches during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis celebrates his century during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips, right, celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews with captain Tim Southee during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips dives to stop the ball during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva with teammates during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva plays a shot during the day two of the first test cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

CAIRO (AP) — Rescuers in Yemen pulled more bodies from the rubble Wednesday of a prison run by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that was hit in a deadly airstrike earlier this week, as an escalation between the rebels and a Saudi-led coalition threatened Yemen's fragile ceasefire.

The renewed fighting is also threatening global oil shipments as the Houthis target shipping and oil infrastructure that’s helping keep oil flowing through the Red Sea while the U.S.-Iran war has throttled shipments through the key Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.

The prison in Hazm, the Jawf provincial capital, collapsed on Monday when coalition strikes hit the area, killing at least 23 people, including the four whose bodies were found on Wednesday.

It wasn't immediately known how many people were in the prison at the time of the strikes, which also left seven injured.

Following the strike on Monday, the Houthis retaliated on Tuesday with attacks on southern Saudi cities. The coalition early Wednesday responded with more airstrikes, targeting Houthi military facilities in Jawf and Marib provinces.

Hassan Saboula, director of Jawf's civil defense agency, said a child was among the 23 killed on Monday and that rescue teams were still searching for seven missing from the attack.

The identities of those killed have yet to be determined, al-Masirah satellite news channel cited Saboula as saying. Among the seven injured was a woman who was visiting her husband, said Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry.

In a statement Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the prison strike was carried out by an F15-SA Saudi aircraft. He said the aircraft took off from King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, the kingdom's fifth-largest city, at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, hit the prison and returned to the base 15 minutes later.

The Saudi government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The rebels said they targeted the base on Tuesday, as part of their strikes on several cities in southern Saudi Arabia.

Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee southward and then into exile in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the Yemen war the following year in an attempt to restore the government. The war has killed at least 150,000 people, according to U.N. estimates, and at times pushed the country to the brink of famine.

The escalation between the rebels and the coalition started when the Houthis attempted in July to fly a plane from Tehran, Iran's capital, to Sanaa, the rebel-controlled Yemeni capital, challenging a decade-long air and naval blockade by the coalition. The coalition struck the runway in Sanaa, preventing the flight from landing.

The Houthis have since targeted Saudi Arabia and attacked Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. On Tuesday, they hit several Saudi oil facilities where some operations have since been temporarily suspended, according to the Saudi Energy Ministry.

Also, the rebels have been attacking Saudi-allied government forces on multiple fronts within Yemen. However, government forces turned the tide earlier this month, striking Houthi positions on the Red Sea, on Yemen’s western coast.

Before the Jawf prison strike, the violence in Yemen killed at least 194 people between Aug. 23 and Sept. 5, and wounded over 880, according to the World Health Organization. More than 21,000 people have been displaced.

The escalation shattered a four-year truce that had largely halted the fighting in the civil war.

People read a newspaper to follow the war news at a shop in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

FILE - A Houthi Shiite rebel mans a machine gun mounted on a military truck in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Oct. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)