GALLE, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas led Sri Lanka's fightback after Indian opener Virender Sehwag missed out on a rare feat of scoring a century before lunch in the second Test here on Thursday.
Sehwag was unbeaten on 91 at the lunch-break before hammering a robust 128 not out for his 15th Test hundred on a rain-hit opening day. He dominated a 167-run stand for the opening wicket with Gautam Gambhir (56).
But unorthodox spinner Mendis and veteran left-arm seamer Vaas did not allow India to capitalise on a strong start, sharing four quick wickets to reduce the tourists to 214-4 in the first innings at stumps.
Only four batsmen -- Australians Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney and Don Bradman, and Pakistan's Majid Khan -- have scored a hundred before lunch on the opening day of a Test.
It was the second time that Sehwag had missed out on the rare distinction, having smashed an unbeaten 99 before lunch against the West Indies in Saint Lucia two years ago.
India were comfortably placed at 151 for no loss at lunch, but their batting woes began when play resumed in the last session after more than three hours were lost due to rain, as four wickets fell in the space of 11 runs.
Mendis trapped Gambhir leg-before and had Rahul Dravid (two) caught by Malinda Warnapura, while Vaas accounted for ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar (five) and former captain Sourav Ganguly to put the hosts back into the match.
Sehwag said he was not sure whether the ball had brushed Warnapura's helmet before the close-in fielder completed a juggling catch. The rules say it is not a fair catch if the ball has touched a protective helmet worn by a fielder.
"I didn't know for sure because I was at the non-striker's end," he said of Dravid's dismissal.
"Maybe it did hit the helmet, but when you are not sure how can you ask the umpire? If the Sri Lankans knew that it hit the helmet and still appealed then the spirit was not right."
Sehwag said he planned to play a long innings.
"There is little satisfaction at this stage," he said. "If I can convert my knock into a big one, say a double-century, and take the total to 400-500 then I will be satisfied because we can put pressure on Sri Lanka.
"They have quality bowlers in Murali, Mendis and Vaas. They are the kind of bowlers who can bowl a good ball at any time and you have to play them carefully. All the batsmen got out to good balls and you can't blame anyone."
Sehwag did not let the long rain break affect his concentration, hoisting Mendis over long-on for a six and then driving the bowler for a four to complete his century off just 87 balls.
India, who had collapsed twice against spin in the opening Test in Colombo, called the shots in the morning as Sehwag and Gambhir averaged more than five runs an over.
Sehwag was more aggressive, putting the Sri Lankan attack to the sword with rich strokeplay on an easy-paced track after his team elected to bat. He has so far struck two sixes and 19 fours in his 122-ball knock.
Gambhir was lucky to survive on 13 when he edged seamer Nuwan Kulasekara to first slip, but Kumar Sangakkara, apparently distracted by wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene diving in front of him, failed to hold on to the ball.
The lapse proved costly as Gambhir continued to provide valuable support to Sehwag. He struck eight fours in his solid knock.
Sehwag offered a difficult chance on 90 off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the edge going between the wicket-keeper and slip fielder Mahela Jayawardene for a four.
Gambhir was initially adjudged leg-before by on-field umpire Billy Doctrove of the West Indies, but asked the official to review his decision. Doctrove was proved right after consulting TV umpire Mark Benson of England.
A new experimental rule allowing players to seek a second opinion on umpiring decisions is on trial in the ongoing series.
Sri Lanka lead 1-0 in the three-match series following their victory by an innings and 239 runs in Colombo.
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2nd Test India v Sri Lanka at Galle - Jul 31-Aug 4, 2008 Match scheduled to begin at 10:15 local time (04:45 GMT)
Where to Watch
India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Maldives/Nepal/Bangladesh/Indonesia/Japan/Europe/Hong Kong/ Ten Sports
Arun Lal had only just stated on air that Ajantha's Carrom Ball was causing the Indians some grief - VVS Laxman an accomplished player of spin gets knocked over twice by Ajantha's Googly and not the Carrom ball.
Despite the common misconception not all of Ajantha's deliveries are quick and flat take a closer look he dismissed Laxman twice during that Test and both googlies were delivered at different speeds and different trajectories.
Jayananda Warnaweera the curator of the Galle International stadium speaking to the Hindu states the Galle wicket will more or less be a 4 day wicket and the team winning the toss will decide the match.
“Basically it’s a four-day pitch, and we have a spare day for rain, If Sri Lanka win the toss, it’s over for India.” - Warnaweera
Speaking to the Indian Express Arjuna Ranatunga claims India's record loss to Sri Lanka in the 1st Test has a lot to do with the detrimental influence of T20 cricket.
"The way the Indians have played this Test is an eye-opener not just for us but for all cricket-playing countries".
"They dealt with this like a Twenty20 game. I think they were not prepared for Test cricket." - Arjuna Ranatunga.
It is hard for someone who watched the every ball of the first test match to agree with Arjuna - Mahela Jayawardene who batted beautifully during Sri Lanka's 1st inning had more or less the same dose of IPL/T20 cricket as most of the Indians.
I would be a fool not to be insulted if I was a member of that Test match team, every member of that playing eleven contributed to that victory. It is a tough task for any team to counter Mendis and Murali if Lanka's batsman do their jobs. Sri Lanka continue to fail in Australia because their bowling attack never had runs behind them and found themselves constantly on the defensive.
The contributing factor to that record win was not India's lack of preparation or T20's negative influence on the game but 600 runs in the first innings, four centurions and a dash of Mendis & Murali magic!
Features: Extended highlights of day 4 & presentation ceremony.
4th day Bulletin - Murali and Mendis maul India Dileep Premachandran - The spin assassins Jamie Alter - Partners in guile Comment - Review system under the scanner Quotes - Plenty to ponder for Kumble Audio - Sanjay Manjrekar: India no more masters of spin Stats - Spin wizards stump India Plays - An odd couple, and Murali's guile Gallery - SL spinners induce abject collapse
“A few dismissals were obviously negated under the referral system. The new system is something we have to take forward. It definitely requires a review but it is too early to say”.
“If it wasn't used in this Test we'd probably have had four bad decisions go against us. The decisions for both Tendulkar and Dravid were tough ones for the on-field umpire”.
Speaking to The Statesman(India) Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said the new system definitely reduced the margin of error, the full article can be found here.
Cricinfo: The Sri Lankan selectors have added Dammika Prasad, a right-arm fast-medium bowler to the squad for the second Test against India starting at Galle on Thursday Read more
India 159 for 6 (Gambhir 39, Murali 4-38) trail Sri Lanka 600 for 6 dec (Dilshan 127*) by 441 runs
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis shook the SSC pitch out of its slumber after the Sri Lankan batsmen given them a mountain of runs as a cushion, and the new-ball bowlers had done their bit in taking the shine off the ball.
Once the spinners came on, the batsmen were either mesmerised or stunned -- both, in rapid succession, in the case of Rahul Dravid -- and when bad light stopped play on the third day, India were 242 adrift of the follow-on with only four wickets left.
(ABC News): Centuries from Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Samaraweera guided Sri Lanka to a strong 4 for 422 on the second day of the first Test against India overnight while the new experimental third umpire laws got its first hit out.
(CNN) -- Cricket history was made on the second day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India as home batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan was given a reprieve by a television umpire.
Thilan Sanaraweera was one of three
Sri Lankan centurions in their first innings against India.
Dilshan was initially given out by on-field umpire Mark Benson, adjudged caught behind off a Zaheer Khan delivery, but under new rules being trialled in this Test was allowed to challenge the decision through television replay.
Third umpire Rudi Koertzen reviewed replays and gave Dilshan not out.
By the close, he was 20 not out in the massive Sri Lankan total of 422 for four wickets.
Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera all scored tons as India toiled in Colombo, with Samaraweera 111 not out in the company of Dilshan.
Jayawardene, who made a superb 136, also matched the record of former Australian cricket legend Don Bradman in scoring nine Test centuries at the same venue.
The Sri Lankan captain achieved his feat at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, with Bradman's nine tons being scored at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Earlier, during the morning session, India captain Anil Kumble made the first-ever television challenge when an appeal for leg before wicket (lbw) against Sri Lanka opener Warnapura was turned down, but he was unsuccessful in changing the original call.
Koertzen upheld the on-field umpire's decision, adjudging that the ball would have missed leg stump.
This Test marks the beginning of the International Cricket Council's experimentation with the challenge system. Previously, the use of television technology was largely limited to run outs and stumpings, but players will now be able to challenge the likes of lbw verdicts -- the trickiest and most subjective of all umpiring decisions -- and catches.
Each side is allowed three challenges in each innings and the number of challenges remains intact if a decision is overturned using the system employed in professional tennis.
Kumar Sangakkara paved the way quite dashingly for his team's second successive win in the tournament. Kumar with a brilliant knock of 96 off 84 balls took his team to an imposing 296 for 5.
"In the bowling department, Ajantha Mendis is all set to make his Test debut. "He is a great find. We tested him first in the One-day series against West Indies and there he bowled quite well. In the Asia Cup, he was just superb. I am confident that he is going to do very well in the Test series as well." states Asantha De Mel talking to The Times of India.
Times of India: "After the BCCI banned all who took part in the Indian Cricket League from its activities, the SLC is also doing the same. Former Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu, who was seen and heard during the Asia Cup as a member of the commentary team, will not be allowed to do any commentary when Sri Lanka will be playing at home."
"We have banned him for joining a rebel league and we are not concerned if he still does it for some other sports channel. If Sri Lankan board is involved in some cricket, Atapattu is not allowed to do commentary,"a top SLC official said.
Day 3: England made to suffer by Jayasuriya and de Silva (Cricinfo Match Bulletin) By Scyld Berry
IT HAS not been the commanding performance which England needed before they set off for Australia. The batting of Sri Lanka's master stroke players, Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva, has made England's cricket look small beer, or perhaps rice-water, by comparison.
When England batted on the first two days, there was a whiff, or stench, of players playing for their tour places rather than focusing on winning the match in hand. For that failure England paid yesterday, as Sri Lanka rattled along without any manifestation of haste, and yet at the extraordinary rate of four runs an over on average and often more.
It was not as if the Sri Lankan batsmen - squat and powerful and yet beautiful timers - attacked England's bowling. They simply waited for the bad balls to arrive on one side of the perfect batting pitch or the other, and put them away with ease. If the England bowlers had a harsh time to help prepare them for Australian conditions, their fielders had little to do in the warm sunshine beyond trot to the confines to pick up the ball.
Jayasuriya and de Silva came together when England made the costly mistake of dismissing Sri Lanka's No 3, caught in the gully off a loose drive. However fine a batsman Mahela Jayawardene may be, it is inconceivable he could have matched the virtuosity of the batsmanship which ensued, and kept on ensuing, until Jayasuriya had made a double hundred and Sri Lankan supporters in the crowd, deprived for so long of a sight of their team in this country for being 'unfashionable', were almost drunk on the rice-water of it all.
Perhaps no other pair of Test batsmen in the world could have batted so brilliantly and for so long at so rapid a rate. Brian Lara and Carl Hooper might have matched the brilliance, but not the appetite of the Sri Lankans; Australians would not have allowed themselves such panache, not against England. Sachin Tendulkar, of course, could have surpassed the pair off his own bat, but Mohammed Azharuddin, as he is now in his dotage, does not care to undertake unduly long innings.
Jayasuriya scored the vast majority of his runs on the offside, and very few on the leg except when Ian Salisbury tempted him irresistibly to pull, and when he picked up Dominic Cork for six. As de Silva played second sitar to him, Jayasuriya was the power behind the Sri Lankans' plunder of 113 runs from 27 overs before lunch, and another 125 from 29 before tea. It was just as well for England that the pair were loath to do anything quicker than waddle between wickets.
De Silva started at speed, glancing his third ball for two, off-driving the next for four, and pulling his sixth for four, all off Angus Fraser, before throttling down to bat with maximum certainty. There was nothing new about Jayasuriya's batting in so much that he has made a Test score of 340 and Sri Lanka has never lacked for glorious shot-makers; the novelty lay in the patience which de Silva demonstrated, notably in the hour after lunch when he added two singles, though Jayasuriya so dominated the strike as well as the bowling in this hour that de Silva faced only 28 balls.
Jayasuriya had sped to 59 off 71 balls overnight. He picked up by crashing Darren Gough twice through the covers as the bowler felt the power of the Sri Lankan's forearms. Ben Hollioake's harrowing day began with nine runs from his opening over as de Silva glanced him and his partner slashed him over gully; the 50 stand came up from 39 balls when Jayasuriya cut Hollioake to the boundary, though cover was 50 yards deep.
When de Silva reached 23, he became the first of his countrymen to reach 5,000 Test runs and set about the next thousand as most of England's bowling offered everything save length and direction. As in the South African series, no matter how many bowlers England's selectors pick, there only ever seem to be three of them.
Jayasuriya's fifth Test 100 came from only 124 balls. As he pressed on to 213 from 278 balls - he was out in only the 80th over of the innings, a rate of scoring beyond the ken of previous generations of opening batsmen - records flowed to the Sri Lankans' credit. His stand of 243 with de Silva, in only 55 overs all told, was the highest for any Sri Lankan wicket against England, or for their third wicket against any country.
When you ask about his international comeback Malinga becomes somber as he says: "This team is quite good now. At times I'm scared that I might not a have a chance to return to the national side."
Suddenly it seems that there is a lot of stress hidden behind the screeching car, the laughter, the swagger, and the loud animated chat with his mates. Malinga's hair-style is the same - the artificial golden specks still stand out against the black background. Deep inside, Lankan cricket's poster boy is slightly bitter and a little paranoid about his future. Read more on the article titled ' Fast, now furious: Hurting Malinga worries about future ' here.
Sri Lanka defeated India by 254 in one of their most intimidating performances in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. The architect was, Sanath Jayasuriya, who rescued an innings that was dipping into the doldrums, with a breathtaking 189 from just 161 balls, the second equal highest score in the history of one-day international cricket.
Then, with India needing to score a mammoth 300 runs to win, the Sri Lanka bowlers ripped through the top order. Within 24 balls, both Tendulkar (5) and Ganguly (3) were left brooding in the dressing room. India's chances of winning had been squashed and any self-belief that had previously lingered had now vanished.
The Indian middle order capitulated. The only batsman to reach double figures was Robin Singh (11) and India were bowled out for just 54 runs. This was the lowest total ever in the history of one-day cricket in Sharjah and the third lowest in the world.
Chaminda Vaas finished with a career best 5 for 14 from his 9.3 overs. Both he and Zoysa bowled aggressively, perhaps fuelled by the inspirational batting of their captain. Everything they did appeared to bring dividends. Writes Charlie Austin for Cricinfo.
Ask the Sri Lankan manager, former Test player Hashan Tillakaratne, for permission to speak to Ajantha Mendis and he makes a face that gives the impression that the words spoken in English have turned Latin by the time they reached his ears. Standing at the Sinhalese Sports Club — the nerve centre of Lankan cricket — the middle-order batsman, now an official of similar status, is stumped by this query on his first day in office.
“He has a chamber upstairs. Go and meet him, if he is free he will speak to you,” he says pointing to the ceiling. Overnight fame isn’t new to sub-continent cricketers, but a cabin in the board office isn’t something even Sachin Tendulkar can boast of. But fears about the Asia Cup hero being placed on this impossibly high pedestal are rested soon as a smile flashes across Tillakaratne’s face. “Oh, now I get it. You want to speak to Ajantha, I thought you were asking for our CEO Duleep Mendis. Ajantha is in the pool, you can speak to him,” he says.
Read more of Sandeep Dwivedi's brilliant encounter with the Mystery Spinner here.
In yet another twist to this embarrassing situation Hashan states that he has received no formal communication from The sports minister Lokuge and he has been instructed by the chairman of SLC (Ranatunga) to carry on his duties as team manager.
“I was appointed by Arjuna and the present interim committee. I will continue as long as they want me to do so. Even now I am with the team at the practice session” .
“The minister spoke to me Tuesday and he gave me his blessings. After that I have not heard anything from him”, the former captain added speaking to IANS Thursday.
23-27 July – Sri Lanka v India, SSC, Colombo – Mark Benson and Billy Doctrove, TV Umpire - Rudi Koertzen
31 July-4 August – Sri Lanka v India, Galle – Billy Doctrove, Rudi Koertzen, TV Umpire - Mark Benson
8-12 August – Sri Lanka v India, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo – Rudi Koertzen and Mark Benson, TV Umpire – Billy Doctrove
ODI series match referee – Chris Broad
18 August – Sri Lanka v India, Dambulla – Billy Doctrove and local appointment
20 August - Sri Lanka v India, Dambulla – Billy Doctrove and local appointment
24 August - Sri Lanka v India, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo – Billy Doctrove and local appointment
26 August - Sri Lanka v India, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo – Billy Doctrove and local appointment
29 August - Sri Lanka v India, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo – Billy Doctrove and local appointment
The series will see the umpire decision review system trialed with Koertzen the TV umpire in the first Test while Benson and Doctrove will fill the role in the second and third Tests respectively.
The system will see the fielding and batting sides allowed three unsuccessful appeals to the umpire per innings to change a decision if it is perceived to have been incorrect.
These appeals can be made only by the batsman in receipt of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side, in both cases by the player making a “T” sign with both forearms at shoulder height.
The on-field umpire will consult with the TV umpire, who will review available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague.
The on-field umpire will then deliver his decision either by raising his finger to indicate “out” or by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side to side in front and above his waist three times – as per a “safe” decision by an official in baseball.
At the conclusion of the Test series, Hurst will hand over to Chris Board, also of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, for the ODI series that runs from 18 – 29 July to be umpired by Doctrove and Sri Lanka Cricket local appointees.
Please note: The umpire decision review system trial will apply to the Test series only and will not be in place for the ODI series that follows.
From the official ICC media release which can be found here.
Muttiah Muralitharan in an interview with G Krishnan recently for The Hindustan Times has stated that he is setting his sights on 800 Test wickets rather than the 1000 figure he had set his sights on previously.
"I am targeting 800 Test wickets. I am 65 short of it," Murali told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat in Bangalore on Monday. "If I get that, I will be very happy. I will try a little more and take 39 wickets to get past Wasim Akram's world record. These are the two major things. There is nothing else left to achieve for me."
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1st Test India v Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) - Jul 23-27, 2008 (10:30 local, 05:00 GMT)
Where to Watch
India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Maldives/Nepal/Bangladesh/Indonesia/Japan/Europe/Hong Kong/ Ten Sports
This is yet another World record for one of the most entertaining batsman the game has seen. Three other batsman sit equal on 6 consecutive boundaries in an over Sarwan and Gayle being the other two. Click here for the full list.
Ex-captain Hashan Tillakaratne has been appointed Sri Lanka's national cricket team manager for the upcoming test and limited-overs home series against India.
Tillakaratne's appointment will be formally announced at a news conference later Tuesday, Sri Lanka Cricket media manager Shane Fernando said.
The 41-year-old Tillakaratne played in 83 tests and scored 4,545 runs. In 200 one-day internationals Tillakaratne compiled 3,789 runs.
He was a regular national player for 15 years from 1989 and led the team in 10 test matches from 2003. - AP
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Here are a few photos submitted by readers feel free submit your own photos on anything to do with Sri Lankan Cricket. Submissions can be sent to the following email address and please ensure you own copyright to all the images you submit.
The R Premadasa Stadium in all it's glory. Photo courtesy Chamil Thanthrimudalige http://www.ctphoto.biz
During England's Test tour of Sri Lanka 2007 Submitted by Andrew Heger.
ODI no. 2326 Played at Adelaide Oval on 10 February 2006 saw a total of 5 run outs, TM Dilshan was involved in four. Click here for the full list of most run out dismissals in ODI's (stats courtesy of Cricinfo).
I have had numerous requests in regards to this and my apologies on the delay and my tardiness. Many thanks to Sunil Fernando,UK who was pushing for this.
Feel free to test the comment form out by leaving a comment below. Thank you for the continued support folks -Hilal.
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New spin sensation Ajantha Mendis has been promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Army.
"GUNNER Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslow Mendis (S/158405) of Sri Lanka Artillery who created history in the Asia Cup Tournament, bringing laurels not only to the Sri Lanka Army but also to the entire Nation was promoted to the rank of Sergeant last evening (7) on the instructions of Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka in recognition of his achievements." states the official website of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.
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Brendan is currently a freelance journalist, working for Australian news website Ninemsn as a content producer and blogger with 'Ref needs glasses'.
Ajantha Mendis- A new phenomenon
The retirement of Shane Warne left a large hole in the cricket world, with the greatest spinner of all time no longer affecting the game and delighting crowds with his immaculate control and big turn.
Around the world, the search for spinners to replace the old guard that is passing is underway. Murali is 36 and injuries are beginning to mute his effectiveness. Anil Kumble is 38 this year and not far away from retirement.
Dan Vettori has plenty of years left but is not as exciting as other spinners across the world, such as Monty Panesar, who has a decade worth of service still in him for England. And there is currently no other spinner in world cricket really creating a stir. Until now.
That man is Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka’s newest spin sensation earmarked as the new ‘mystery’ spinner, continuing a line from Johnny Gleeson all the way back to Jack Iverson, the original ‘mystery’ bowler.
Mendis has just shocked out India in the Asia Cup Final, cementing a win that Sanath Jayasuria set up with the phenomenal figures of 6/13. India, one of the most powerful teams in the world, couldn’t even make it to 200.
Let’s put these figures into context now. Firstly, spinners are usually subject to a great deal of punishment in one day cricket, with notable exceptions of course (Murali and Saqlain Mushtaq spring to mind).
Secondly, he was playing against India, renowned across the world as the best players of spin bowling. Warne and Murali, the best spinners of this era, cannot average under 30 against them in test cricket, and their ODI records against them weren’t much better.
Thirdly, the Asia Cup has produced featherbed pitches that have been in extraordinary favour of batsmen. 10 innings of 300 or more featured during the tournament, some of those coming in the same match. Mendis took 17 wickets in 5 games, six more than the more accomplished Murali.
Finally, he was introduced in the ninth over of the Indian innings. Bowling to Virender Sehwag, who had dominated the proceedings with his 60, Mendis had him stumped off his second ball, then bowled danger man Yuvraj two balls later for a duck.
He bowled a good length that left the batsman unsure whether to come forward or back (A tactic that made fast bowler Glenn McGrath legendary), then using his variation and a straight ball as a stock delivery, he ran through the rest of the team. Three of the six victims were bowled, beaten by the variation.
Mendis had already been making shockwaves in the Sri Lankan domestic scene, and his first class record is simply bemusing. From 19 matches he has a hardly believable 111 wickets, with a strike rate 32.9 and a ridiculous average of 14.54. Murali’s strike rate is 48, and his average 19.06. Still brilliant figures, but they pale in comparison to Mendis.
Figures like his have not been seen since the golden age of cricket and before, when pitches were uncovered and a bowler had everything in his favour, in this day and age, with the game favouring batsman, they are utterly amazing.
The test now for the young Sri Lankan is to not only maintain his sense of mystery, but to crack the Sri Lankan test team, dominated by that man Murali. His record suggests he could be the man that may challenge Warne and Murali’s positions at the top of the spinning tree.
This is the bowler cricket has been crying out for to lead spin into a new era. I truly hope he can establish himself now and challenge world cricket for his place amongst the greats.
Courier Mail(AUS): WORLD cricket has a new Muttiah Muralidaran, with a freakish Sri Lankan mystery spinner taking the game where it has never been before. Part-time Sri Lankan army trooper Ajantha Mendis is turning cricket on its head with his mesmeric brand of spin which defies convention and includes offbreaks, legbreaks, googlies and topspinners.
The 23-year-old Mendis, who took an amazing 6-13 against India in the final of the Asia Cup this week, is basically two spinners rolled into one because he has no stock delivery and turns the ball both ways. Although still officially classified as a slow-medium bowler, the 23-year-old can spin the ball at right angles and is harder to pick than Muralidaran.
Mendis has also has invented a new delivery – the "carrom" or "flicker" ball – which he releases with a deadly snap of his strong middle finger and could result in an off-break, a leg-break, a googly or even a zooter. He claims his mystery ball spins randomly depending on the time of release and the world's top batsmen admit they are clueless.
Ajantha Mendis on Debut for Kolkata Knight Riders
Indian skipper M. S. Dhoni conceded his batsmen, some of the world's best players of spin, had succumbed to "Mendis phobia" during one of the most amazing bowling spells ever in the Asia Cup final.
"I think he was too hot to handle. We were playing him for the first time and he was lethal. In fact none of us could pick him," Dhoni said.
Mendis, who has 20 wickets at an average of 10 from his eight ODIs, has been compared to former Australian mystery spinner John Gleeson but appears to have more tricks.
Mendis, yet to play a Test, is still in the formative stages of his career but perhaps his greatest achievement so far is overshadowing the great Muralidaran at the other end.
Mendis was named man of the tournament in the Asia Cup for his 17 wickets at 8.5.
The International Cricket Council is under increasing pressure to shift September's Champions Trophy from Pakistan after a suicide bomb attack in Islamabad killed at least 17 people.
Islamabad is one of three Pakistani cities scheduled to host trophy matches and it now appears the ICC will have little choice but to relocate the tournament, possibly to South Africa or Sri Lanka.
The subcontinent has generally had the problem, almost impossible to prove but privately acknowledged, of over-aged players in age-group cricket.
Conversely, it allows players to stay on beyond their sell-by date. On Sunday, at the National Stadium in Karachi, Sanath Jayasuriya - 39 years and six days old - turned both concepts on their head as he plundered 125 off 114 balls. Writes Sidharth Monga for Cricinfo. +/- Expand Post
Not long ago, though, Jayasuriya was too old and too out of form to be playing the young man's game of limited-overs cricket. When he was dropped for the West Indies ODIs earlier this year, he had gone 20 innings without having scored a half-century. "Due respect to selectors too, because when they dropped him he wasn't in form; he wasn't scoring runs," Jayawardene said. "They had to look at the future too."
Despite his replacements not doing well, Sri Lanka chose to persist with them. The selectors had picked a squad - excluding Jayasuriya - for the Asia Cup as well, but a not-so-happy sports minister delayed in ratifying it, in which time Jayasuriya made his case with a sizzling century for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The result: he won back his place.
He chose the perfect day to score his first century on return to the national side - the day he turned 39.
Some of his team-mates hadn't even made it to primary school when Jayasuriya had made his debut. "He doesn't surprise me. I have been lucky to have him; his attitude is the same, he hasn't changed." It's just as well that Jayasuriya doesn't change, as 52 days from now he can have a go at another record: become the oldest man to score an ODI century. Are we being greedy if we ask the oldest centurion to score one that challenges the fastest one too? - Writes Sidharth Monga in an article titled 'Records don't awe ageless Jayasuriya' for Cricinfo.
The Hindu: It was Mahela Jayawardene’s press conference and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who mixes up his off-breaks and googlies, ruled. The incessant queries about Mendis left Jayawardene a touch bemused in the press conference here on Sunday night. Jayawardene stressed that the quirky spinner’s style has been allowed to blossom. “We encourage our cricketers to play their natural game. It helps that we have Murali around to guide Mendis, who is very talented.
“Right now, we are letting him do what he is most comfortable with. I do discuss field settings with him before a match in terms of the kind of field he needs for his different deliveries,” the Sri Lankan skipper added.
Laced with humour
What about his leg spin was the next query and Jayawardene cheekily replied, “Ah! does he bowl leg-spin?” And the skipper continued to patiently answer queries on Mendis, who bagged four wickets against Pakistan.
Jayawardene’s humour surfaced when asked about the back-to-back matches for both Sri Lanka and India in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup.
“I guess it is home advantage for Pakistan but we will make sure that the next time we have the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, we will give back-to-back matches for Pakistan,” Jayawardene said and laughed.
Jayawardene praised Kumar Sangakkara’s effort. “Sanga’s century was among the best I have seen. It was essential that one of us stayed all the way through. With Sanath leaving early and I getting dismissed while going for quick runs, it was important for Sanga to be there,” Jayawardene said.
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