Gehan Mendis
Gehan Dixon Mendis (born 24 April 1955) is a former cricketer who played as an opening batsman in England for Sussex and Lancashire between 1974 and 1993.
In first-class cricket, he scored 21,436 runs in 336 matches at an average of 36.83, including 41 centuries and 108 fifties, with a top score of 209 not out. In List A cricket, he made 8,327 runs in 313 matches at 29.42, with eight centuries and 41 fifties. He also took 144 catches in first-class cricket.
Key highlights of his career include:
- A prolific 1980 season with over 1,000 runs, two double centuries, and top-scorer in the Gillette Cup with 296 runs from four innings.
- Sussex Cricket Society Player of the Year in 1980.
- Nearly five centuries in six innings in 1985.
- Joining Lancashire in 1986, where he trained with Wasim Akram and had notable performances, including carrying the bat for 65* in 1988.
- Part of the Lancashire sides that won the Benson & Hedges Cup and the NatWest Trophy in 1990, with a standout 121* in the NatWest Trophy semi-final and a 180 against Nottinghamshire in a league game.
- A Lancashire benefit year in 1993 and a MCC appearance against Scotland in 1989.
Born in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), his family moved to the United Kingdom when he was 12, making him eligible to play for Sri Lanka or England, though he never played international cricket. By 2015 he was working as a teacher in Wilmslow, Cheshire. His nephew Alex Mendis played for Sussex Second XI in 2005–2006.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:58 (CET).