Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis achieve unusual feat
Sri Lanka posted massive 330 for 7 in fifth ODI of the Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series against West Indies at Bulawayo. Opener Dhananjaya de Silva gave them good start, while captain Upul Tharanga and Sachith Pathirana played brisk cameos down the order. The bulk of the scoring, however, was done by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis, both of whom scored 94 each. While 64% of Dickwella’s serene 106-ball performance came in singles, Mendis smashed 7 fours and 5 sixes during his 73-ball carnage. Unfortunately, both men missed out on well-deserved hundreds: Dickwella reviewed tight LBW decision that went against him, while Mendis exposed all three stumps and edged one while trying to guide it towards third-man. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series, 5th ODI at Bulawayo
Between then, Dickwella and Mendis registered the second instance of two batsmen from a team getting out for identical scores in their nineties in an ODI.
Highest identical scores by two batsmen in an ODI innings
| Score | Batsman | Score | Batsman | Team | Against | Venue | Season |
| 125 | Graeme Smith | 125* | AB de Villiers | South Africa | Sri Lanka | Johannesburg | 2011-12 |
| 103 | Gautam Gambhir | 103* | Rahul Dravid | India | Sri Lanka | Ahmedabad | 2005-06 |
| 102 | Hashim Amla | 102 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | West Indies | North Sound | 2010 |
| 94 | Niroshan Dickwella | 94 | Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka | West Indies | Bulawayo | 2016-17 |
| 93 | John Wright | 93 | Andrew Jones | New Zealand | Bangladesh | Sharjah | 1990 |
Note:
– The highest identical score by two batsmen from opposing sides is 139, by Angelo Mathews and Virat Kohli at Ranchi in 2014-15. It is also the highest identical score by two captains in an ODI.
– The highest identical score in the same Test innings is 234, by Don Bradman and Sid Barnes against England at Sydney in 1946-47.
– The highest identical score in the same T20I innings is 73, by Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt against Bangladesh at Gros Islet in May 2010.