Mendis could miss out as Sri Lanka opt for pace

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo

July 19, 2009

In his last four Tests, all against Pakistan, Mendis has taken just six wickets at 65.83 © AFP

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, has hinted at picking four seamers for the final Test against Pakistan which means the out-of-form spinner Ajantha Mendis could sit out the match starting Monday. Left-arm medium-pacer Chaminda Vaas will be returning to the side for the Test, which he announced will be his last.

"Playing four seamers is a very good possibility, the combinations are endless with the quality we have," Sangakkara said. "The best balance is always seven batsmen and four bowlers depending on who the bowlers are. We've played cricket at the SSC with six batsmen and five bowlers, one of them being an allrounder. Those two conditions sit very well with us."

Since his debut in July 2008, Mendis has only missed one out of nine Tests Sri Lanka played - against Bangladesh, when he twisted his ankle. But in his last four Tests, all against Pakistan, Mendis has taken just six wickets at 65.83, compared to his first four in which he took 33 at 18.36.

Sri Lanka have already won the series 2-0 going into this Test and Sangakkara said they would aim to bat Pakistan out of the match, having failed to do so in the previous ones. "If we really buckle down and play positively and look to score runs that opportunity will come to more than one of our batsmen." No Sri Lankan batsman has scored a century in the two Tests.

"It's always a tough thing to make a clean sweep," Sangakkara said. "You want to have a clean sweep but the key towards achieving that is hard work, training and making sure on the match day you go out there and execute everything that was discussed, all the game plans, individual responsibility etc. Just wanting to win and expecting to win doesn't really work without the effort."

Sangakkara ruled out the possibility of any complacency from his side in the dead rubber. "Pakistan has played patchy cricket so have we. Unfortunately their patches have been more disastrous than ours. We've had opportunities where we could have won Test matches at a canter but we didn't convert it. Pakistan had the same opportunities and they didn't convert and managed to give us wins."

Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, was worried by his side's batting collapses. In the first Test in Galle, Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 46 while chasing 168. At the P Sara, they were bowled out for 90 in the first innings and lost their last eight wickets for 26 in the second.

"In the last two Tests there were 15 sessions and we dominated 12 of them and lost the Tests in the remaining three sessions," Younis said. "It's amazing what's happening to us. We have to do well in the final Test because after that we have five ODIs and one Twenty20. The guys will be more focused on partnerships. Maybe we should play some games when wickets are falling or chat amongst ourselves to handle the pressure better. This is a personal thing. In international cricket you need to have more focus and motivation. We can handle that. At the moment we need more partnerships."

Younis said despite the series loss, the players were motivated and the criticism from former players would spur them on further. "The mental state is very simple, everybody wants to win. It is a good time for the senior guys to come forward and deliver. The Test series is lost but we still have the ODI series and Twenty20 if we can win them it will be good for Pakistan cricket." Younis said it was difficult to succeed in Tests after not playing any since December 2007. However, he added, international cricket was about adapting to different conditions. "We need to focus more and deliver."

Mendis joins South Australia for Twenty20 Matches

Brydon Coverdale

July 7, 2009

Ajantha Mendis will be heading to Adelaide Oval in 2009-10 © AFP

Australia's state cricketers are in for a rapid lesson in handling world-class spin after Sri Lanka's mystery tweaker Ajantha Mendis signed for South Australia in next season's Twenty20 competition. But the Redbacks players will be equally tested on the field with the news that Victoria are close to securing Mendis' record-holding team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan.

Mendis was South Australia's No. 1 target and his success in confusing Australia's top batsmen in the World Twenty20 only enhanced his reputation. Part of his power is the mystery nature of his deliveries but his manager Roshan Abeysinghe hoped that in the shortest format Mendis would not give away too many of his secrets.

"The mystery can be found out anyway with technology but it can't be mastered like facing him in a match," Abeysinghe told Cricinfo. "We are concerned about it. We don't want him to be overexposed at any cost but maybe the Twenty20 is fine, where he can only bowl four overs at the most."

Part of the attraction for Mendis was the chance to gain experience in unfamiliar conditions. Although Adelaide is one of the more spin-friendly surfaces in Australia, it will be a vast change from the subcontinental pitches on which Mendis has played most of his cricket.

"He is very excited at the opportunity because it's extra exposure for him and a learning opportunity to bowl on Australian tracks," Abeysinghe said. "He hasn't played in Australia so it will be a great opportunity and a chance to learn a different style because he has played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent."

Like his Sri Lankan colleague Lasith Malinga, who has agreed to play for Tasmania, Mendis' participation is dependent on Sri Lanka's schedule being clear when the Big Bash is held. Jamie Cox, South Australia's high-performance manager, said Mendis would be a terrific addition to the Redbacks.

"Mendis is a proven Twenty20 player famous for his unique bowling style that routinely confounds batsmen," Cox said. "With three home games and one in Sydney and with the importance of quality slow bowling highlighted at the recent World Twenty20, we believe this gives our playing group a massive boost in their quest to qualify for the Champions League."

Mendis follows Malinga and the West Indians Chris Gayle (Western Australia) and Dwayne Bravo (Victoria) in joining the Australian domestic scene for the Twenty20 tournament. Each state is allowed to sign two international players and Victoria are keen on Muralitharan, whose manager Kushil Gunasekera said a deal was likely to be struck.

"It is a matter of fine-tuning some of the terms and conditions," Gunasekera said. "Both parties have mutually consented that they would go ahead and make this contract materialise but the contract has not been signed yet. It looks like it will happen. Cricket Victoria is interested in Murali and Murali is keen to play for them."

The prospect of Muralitharan returning to Melbourne, where he was no-balled for throwing 14 years ago, is an intriguing one. Gunasekera said Muralitharan was looking forward to the possibility of heading back to the MCG to erase the negative memories and believed his presence would help Australia's disappointing spin situation.

"It would be really good for him to go back to Australia and play cricket for Victoria and erase the past," Gunasekera said. "Unless you have forgotten the past you can never look ahead to a brighter future.

"I'm sure it would work well for him and Australia both. It might well add Murali's expertise in resurrecting some of the spin bowling in Australia. That will also work well for them. It might create a lot of goodwill by Murali going back to Victoria to play cricket there."

New South Wales have expressed their interest in attracting the Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara for the Big Bash, while Queensland are believed to be using their former player and current West Indies batsman Brendan Nash to sound out potential signings from the Caribbean. The teams have until Christmas Eve to confirm their Twenty20 lists.

Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Challenging new role for Mendis

How will he react to having to lead Sri Lanka's most inexperienced Test attack in a long time?

Sidharth Monga in Galle

July 3, 2009

Without Murali putting pressure at the other end, how will Mendis cope against a side which has played him well? © AFP

Two teams best suited to make a mockery out of structures and 'processes' promise an unpredictable Test, which no longer favours Sri Lanka because of Muttiah Muralitharan's absence. Anyone out of a 17-year-old prodigy, a former pariah refusing to fade away, a 31-year-old left-arm spinner, a six-Test old mystery spinner, a 30-year-old fast bowler waiting for his Test debut, an uncapped 22-year-old who took three wickets in the first over of the World Twenty20 semi-final but is known for his prolific run-scoring in domestic cricket, and an offspinner who has bowled big legbreaks only in limited-overs internationals could decide this match.

The most important strand of this story, though, is Ajantha Mendis. Like it should be with any self-respecting mystery spinner, Mendis' last year was eventful. This time last year, he was embarrassing the Indian Fab Four in Tests, only to suggest his mystery was wearing off in the subsequent ODIs against India and Pakistan and the IPL, before coming back to mesmerise the world again in the World Twenty20.

Now there is no Murali, at least for the next five days, to build pressure from the other end, or to do the damage when Mendis is struggling. How will he react to having to lead Sri Lanka's most inexperienced Test attack in a long time? If his captain is to be believed, expect a new facet of Mendis to surface. "He is going to enjoy it," said Kumar Sangakkara. "He is a very, very tough character, he has got a good head on his shoulders, he is going to enjoy going out there, being the No. 1 bowler, and taking the pressure on."

What about Pakistan being reputed to playing him well? Like Younis Khan said it is not about doing anything differently, but just being able to read him well. "Mendis has changed from his last Pakistan tour," said Sangakkara. "Sides will have different ways of playing him, some will be more successful than others. Pakistan of course have been playing him quite well, but that doesn't mean Mendis is not going to be effective against them. We just need to fine-tune our thinking and field settings, and let him be as creative as he wants to be."

Not all of the other characters might get to play but have a look at the number of debutants regardless. For Sri Lanka, one out of Angelo Mathews and Kaushal Silva will surely debut. Suraj Kaluhalamulla, who announced today that he had changed his name from Suraj Mohamed, is more likely to replace Murali because Rangana Herath, the other candidate, was flown in today from England, where he was playing minor counties.

Pakistan's Mohammad Aamer and Abdur Rauf are almost certainties unless Younis changes his mind and doesn't play three fast bowlers, which he said was an aggressive move. If Saeed Ajmal is preferred to Danish Kaneria, even he will be getting his first cap. It will be a debut of sorts for Mohammad Yousuf as well with international cricket having changed drastically since he last played.

The pitch and conditions only add to the unknown. The rains made sure the whole ground had to be covered for two days before it could be unveiled it today. Then the grass was cut to make it look like a cricket field. At 10am today, after the Sri Lankan team had arrived for practice, a sea of humanity got to work to get the ground ready. It's a minor miracle in the Land of Small Miracles that the Galle International Stadium is ready to host a Test despite the rains.

While the captains sounded not dissatisfied with the outfield, the pitch remains a big unknown. It has rough patches already, and no live grass. While it all points to a big turner, there is a possibility that too much moisture might have seeped underneath, which could result in a slow turner. Both the captains refused to predict how the surface would behave. Any result from a three-day finish to a high-scoring draw is possible.

Then again this could turn out to be a regular Galle pitch, on which the old hands like Mahela Jayawardene, Younis, Umar Gul, Sangakkara could prove to be the most crucial players. And wouldn't it be fulfilling to watch some old-world cricketers outshine such exciting new talent?

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Playing Mendis won't be tough - Says Younis Khan

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle

July 3, 2009

Younis Khan: "The wickets are similar to Pakistan. Although there is more grip on the Sri Lankan pitches, all pitches are flat" © AFP

Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, has expressed confidence in his batsmen's ability to tackle the wiles of spinner Ajantha Mendis in the three-Test series starting at Galle on Saturday. Younis said his batsmen's familiarisation with Mendis is only not because the two teams have played each other often in the past year or so, but also because Pakistanis are used to playing spin at home.

"We have a lot of offspinners, left-arm spinners and legspinners," Younis said. "The wickets are similar to Pakistan. Although there is more grip on the Sri Lankan pitches, all pitches are flat. Why Sri Lanka and Pakistan are meeting each other so often is because of their good relationship. Both teams know each other's weaknesses. Because of our nature we compete with each other very well."

Younis lamented the abrupt ending to the last Test series between the two countries in Pakistan early this year. "It was turning out to be a nice series at that time especially the first Test when Sri Lanka scored something like 600 and we scored 700. That was a crucial time for us. I was the new captain and we had introduced a couple of youngsters. There was no need for this kind of ending, especially that Lahore incident. We will start where we finished off in Lahore. It's good for both teams."

Younis said he would miss Muttiah Muralitharan who has been ruled out of the series with a leg injury. "The last series I played against Murali, I pulled my hamstring stretching all the way trying to play him for two days. He is a fantastic bowler. Whenever Murali is under pressure he talks to you. When I scored 300 in Karachi he talked to me all the time chatting and laughing. I will miss him."

Younis stated that he always wanted to be positive and would go to the Test with three fast bowlers. "For the spinners' place I have the option of playing either Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria or Saeed Ajmal."

"Pakistan has not been playing a lot of Test cricket in the last few years. It's a good chance if one team can hold its nerves and win. The last series was close when suddenly we took five wickets. This wicket looks a good track, harder than the one at Karachi. It depends on the first session. If you have a good start you have a good chance of winning. It depends on how the batsmen and bowlers react to the wicket. Its 50-50 for both teams."

Source : Cricinfo