Right-handed wicketkeeper-batter Lahiru Udara opened the batting for Sri Lanka in the first innings of the ongoing second Test against the West Indies at North Sound, Antigua, and scored 188 runs from 248 balls on Friday (Saturday IST). During his stay at the crease on Day 1, Udara batted at a strike rate of 75.81, smashing 21 fours and five sixes. Those five maximums helped him etch his name into the record books.
The 32-year-old, who is playing only his third Test match for Sri Lanka, became the first Sri Lankan opening batter to hit five sixes in a single Test innings. In doing so, he broke the previous national record held by Sanath Jayasuriya.
During his international career spanning more than two decades, Jayasuriya hit four sixes in a Test
innings on two occasions.
Most sixes in a Test innings for Sri Lanka as opener
| PLAYER | RUNS | BALLS | FOURS | SIXES | AGAINST | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lahiru Udara | 188 | 248 | 21 | 5 | West Indies | North Sound | 3 Jul 2026 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 89 | 56 | 11 | 4 | Bangladesh | Colombo (SSC) | 6 Sep 2001 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 253 | 348 | 33 | 4 | Pakistan | Faisalabad | 20 Oct 2004 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 157 | 147 | 19 | 3 | Zimbabwe | Harare | 6 May 2004 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 73 | 74 | 9 | 3 | South Africa | Colombo (PSS) | 4 Aug 2006 |
| Michael Vandort | 117 | 189 | 9 | 3 | Bangladesh | Colombo (SSC) | 25 Jun 2007 |
| Oshada Fernando | 50 | 70 | 4 | 3 | Pakistan | Galle | 24 Jul 2022 |
The world record for the most sixes in a Test innings by an opening batter is held by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-handed batter from Mumbai, who made his Test debut against the West Indies in July 2023, smashed 12 sixes during his unbeaten 214 against England in the second innings of the Rajkot Test in February 2024.
Apart from Jaiswal, only two other opening batters—Matthew Hayden and Brendon McCullum—have hit more than 10 sixes in a Test innings. Hayden smashed 11 sixes during his 380-run knock against Zimbabwe at the WACA in Perth in 2003, while McCullum also struck 11 maximums in the first innings of the Sharjah Test against Pakistan in November 2014.
Most sixes in a Test innings as opener
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | RUNS | BALLS | FOURS | SIXES | AGAINST | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 214* | 236 | 14 | 12 | England | Rajkot | 2024 |
| Matthew Hayden | Australia | 380 | 437 | 38 | 11 | Zimbabwe | W.A.C.A | 2003 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 202 | 188 | 21 | 11 | Pakistan | Sharjah | 2014 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 333 | 437 | 34 | 9 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2010 |
| Navjot Singh Sidhu | India | 124 | 223 | 9 | 8 | Sri Lanka | Lucknow | 1994 |
| Mayank Agarwal | India | 243 | 330 | 28 | 8 | Bangladesh | Indore | 2019 |
| Gordon Greenidge | West Indies | 213 | 384 | 20 | 7 | New Zealand | Auckland | 1987 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 197 | 396 | 20 | 7 | New Zealand | Napier | 2008 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | 293 | 254 | 40 | 7 | Sri Lanka | Brabourne | 2009 |
| Tamim Iqbal | Bangladesh | 206 | 278 | 17 | 7 | Pakistan | Khulna | 2015 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 127 | 149 | 10 | 7 | South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2019 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 209 | 290 | 19 | 7 | England | Visakhapatnam | 2024 |
Udara was the fourth Sri Lankan batter to be dismissed on Friday, but before making his way back to the pavilion, he also broke Dimuth Karunaratne’s record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan opening batter in a Test match against the West Indies.
During the West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka in 2015, Karunaratne scored 186 off 354 balls in the first innings of the Galle Test in October 2015. Udara surpassed that mark with his superb innings of 188.
