Dickwella’s Near Miss
On Day 3 of the first Test against India in Galle, Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella narrowly missed achieving his first Test century, getting out for 80 runs to Prasidh Krishna.
Dickwella aimed to assist Sri Lanka in closing the gap on India’s first-innings lead but was caught behind after reaching his 23rd half-century in Test cricket.
A Record He’d Rather Not Hold
This dismissal has unfortunately extended Dickwella’s record for the highest number of 50-plus scores in Test cricket without a century. At 33 years old, he has accumulated 23 half-centuries but has yet to convert any into a three-figure score. His closest attempt was in 2021 during a tour of the West Indies, where he fell just short with a score of 96 in Antigua.
Leading the Unwanted List
Currently, Dickwella tops the list of players with the most Test half-centuries without ever scoring a century. Former Indian opener Chetan Chauhan follows him with 16 half-centuries, while Australians Ken Mackay and Mitchell Starc each have 13. Notably, Shane Warne, the legendary Australian spinner, recorded 12 half-centuries.
Most Runs Without a Century
Shane Warne, who played 145 Tests from 1992 to 2007, took 708 wickets and ranks second on the all-time Test wicket-takers’ list. He also amassed 3,154 runs without ever scoring a century, making him the player with the most Test runs without reaching three figures. Dickwella now has 2,837 Test runs without a century, placing him second on this unfortunate list. Interestingly, both Starc and Warne had a highest Test score of 99, just one run shy of a century.
Current Match Status
As of the third session on Day 3, Sri Lanka was at 264/7 after 74 overs, trailing India by 200 runs in their first innings. India had set a total of 462 runs after choosing to bat first in this opening match of the series.