Brendon Kuruppu
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| Full name | Don Sardha Brendon Priyantha Kuruppu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
5 January 1962 (age 55) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo, 14 August 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Don Sardha Brendon Priyantha Kuruppu (born 5 January 1962) is a former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper and opening batsman. He was often used in ODIs, as he played 54 from 1983 to 1990, but his Test career was largely unremarkable but for one productive innings in Colombo that he scored 201 to be the first Test century as well as double century scored on debut for Sri Lanka.He is still the only test player for Sri Lanka to score a doble ton on debut for Sri Lanka.His 201* is still the highest test score made by a debutant for Sri Lanka in test history.
Kuruppu was born in Colombo in January 1962, and played club cricket for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic and Burgher Recreation Clubs.
His international career started at the 1983 World Cup in England, where he hit two sixes and seven fours in what was to be a career-best 72 against Pakistan. Sri Lanka lost by 50 runs, and his next three matches were disappointing, as the team lost all three and he failed to pass 30. However, at Derby against New Zealand he found form again with 62, anchoring a chase towards 182 as Sri Lanka won by three wickets – their only win in the tournament.
Kuruppu was in and out of the ODI team following the successful World Cup, but didn't play as a regular wicket-keeper until 1986, when he got his chance in the Asia Cup tournament against Pakistan and Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka won. He made a string of low scores, but neverhteless made an impression.
The next winter, Kuruppu got his Test debut against New Zealand at Colombo Cricket Club Ground, he was called up in place of Guy de Alwis, whose continued failings with the bat had given the selectors some thought. In a match frequently interrupted by rain, and against such accomplished bowlers as Richard Hadlee and Ewen Chatfield, Kuruppu made his maiden first-class century on the second day. Sidath Wettimuny held the Sri Lankan record for the highest Test individual innings, after scoring 190 against England in 1984, Kuruppu, however, passed that score by 11 runs, making 201 not out in 777 minutes to become the first Sri Lankan to hit a double Test century. Six men have later repeated his feat. Kuruppu has played the fewest Tests of any double centurion(4 tests).Brendon Kuruppu also has the world record for scoring the slowest ever test match double century in terms of balls(548) and in terms of minutes(777) and he did it on his precious test debut which is still considered as the bravest achievement in the history of test cricket.He's also the only test batsman to have spent over 700 minutes(12 hours & 57 minutes) to score his test double hundred.When he scored double ton on his test debut in 1987,he became the first player in test history to score a century as well as a double century as a wicketkeeper batsman on test debut.He also became the third player in test history to score a double hundred on test debut after R. E. Foster and Lawrence Rowe.He too holds the record for the longest test innings as a test debutant(777 minutes).
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