5 records created by Milan Rathnayake in his 72-run knock for Sri Lanka in ENG vs SL 2024 1st Test

Milan Rathnayake announced his arrival in Test cricket with a brilliant 72-run knock on debut against England on Wednesday. Batting at No. 9, he aggregated 72 off 135 and helped Sri Lanka reach 236 after they were down at 113-7 at one stage.

The debutant joined hands with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva to rescue the visitors at Old Trafford. Milan Rathnayake hit six fours and two sixes in his inning while stitching up a 63-run eighth-wicket stand with De Silva and then a 50-run ninth-wicket partnership with Vishwa Fernando.

In this listicle, we look at the records created by the Sri Lankan debutant in his maiden Test knock against England.

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#1 Milan Rathnayake broke Balwinder Sandhu's 41-year-old record

During his 72-run knock, Milan set a record for the highest individual score by a debutant at No. 9 in Test cricket. He broke former Indian player Balwinder Sandhu's 41-year-old record in the process.

Back in 1983, Sandhu scored 71 on his debut against Pakistan in Hyderabad. With a double off Shoaib Bashir in the 71st over on Wednesday, Milan went past Sandhu's record.

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#2 Milan Rathnayake became the first Sri Lankan debutant to score 50 at No. 9 or below

Rathnayake showed great composure in the middle during his 72-run knock. He started slow and took 96 deliveries to complete his half-century. Enroute his half-ton, the 28-year-old hit five fours and a six.

After touching the 50-run mark, Milan became the first Sri Lankan to score a half-century while batting at No. 9 or lower on Test debut. It's pertinent to note that 165 players represented Sri Lanka in Tests before Milan received his maiden cap.

This record had belonged to Suresh Perera, who scored 43* against England on debut at The Oval. Perera took 104 balls for his unbeaten 43 in 1998.

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#3 Milan Rathnayake created a career record as well

Surprisingly, Rathnayake never scored more than 59 in any of his 88 innings in domestic cricket. He recorded two half-centuries in first-class games, with his highest score being 59.

This was the first time he crossed the 59-run mark in his career. Sri Lankan fans will hope that he breaks this record.

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#4 Milan Rathnayake set a record for sixes

Rathnayake smashed two maximums in his 72-run knock at Old Trafford. On the final ball of the 59th over, he smacked Shoaib Bashir for a six over long-on, while on the second ball of the 66th, he sent a delivey from Joe Root flying over the wide long-off region.

With those two maximums, Rathnayake became the first Sri Lankan debutant to hit two sixes while batting at No. 9 or below in Tests. Suresh Perera hit one six during his 43-run knock in 1998.

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#5 Milan Rathnayake broke Darren Gough's 30-year-old record

In the 1994 English summer, Darren Gough scored 65 while batting at No. 9 on debut for England against New Zealand at Old Trafford. For 30 years, Gough had held the record for the highest individual score by a tailender on debut at the ground.

Milan Rathnayake broke his record on Wednesday. Rathnayake now also has the highest aggregate in a debut Test at Old Trafford, surpassing Paul Allott, who scored 66 runs across two innings on debut against Australia in 1981.