OTD – Stephen Fleming made his career-best score of 274 against Sri Lanka in 2003

The former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming is currently active in IPL 2024 with the defending champions, CSK. Apart from that, here we’ll discuss one of the famous Test knocks of the former stylish Kiwi batter and skipper, Stephen Fleming which he played 21 years back exactly on this day. 

It was April 26th of 2003 when Sri Lanka and New Zealand were taking on each other on the second day of the first Test of the two-match series at the RPS, Colombo. Stephen Flemimg resumed his individual knock from the first day’s unbeaten 112 runs. 

He went on to smash a double century against Sri Lanka, which is also his career-best score in his illustrious journey in international cricket while representing the Blackcaps. Fleming scored 274 runs off 476 balls, with 28 fours and a six. On the back of his double ton, alongside half-centuries scored by Mark Richardson and Scott Styris, New Zealand scored 515 runs for the loss of 7 wickets before declaring the innings. 

Responding to New Zealand’s first innings, Sri Lanka scored 483 runs courtesy of skipper Hashan Tillakaratne’s 144 runs followed by wicketkeeper-batter Kaluwitharana’s 76 runs. 

Later in the second inning, New Zealand declared their innings at the score of 161 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. The match ended in a draw and is still remembered for the amazing and unbeaten knock scored by the New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming. 

One of the few New Zealanders to play more than 100 Tests

Speaking of Fleming’s illustrious 14-year-old international career for New Zealand, he represented the Blackcaps in 111 Tests, 280 ODIs, and 5 T20Is. The Southpaw scored 7172 Test runs with an average of 40.06, including 9 centuries and 46 half-centuries. Besides that, he also scored 8037 ODI runs with an average of 32.40, including 8 centuries and 49 half-centuries followed by 110 T20I runs in 5 innings. 

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