England brace for Mendis challenge

England v Sri Lanka, Champions Trophy, Group B, Jo'burg

September 24, 2009

England are preparing for their first taste of Ajantha Mendis © Getty Images

It could get ugly. England, abysmal England, their top six a mess of indecision and nerves, coming across an unusual spinner they haven't played before; at the Wanderers, it might not be pretty on Friday. When England take on Ajantha Mendis, they are not just taking on their own dodgy past against quality spin, they are taking on their own dodgy past in the ODI game.

This will be the first time England face Mendis in an international and generally, sides which come up against Mendis for the first time are sides that do not live to tell a happy tale. Some of the England players faced him as a net bowler in Sri Lanka a few years ago and even then the results weren't impressive. The obligatory video tapes have been studied - Mendis' rise incidentally has coincided with a rise in the sale of video machines - and players who have succeeded against him have been approached. The pool is not that big. Now it only remains for England to play him but, as South Africa discovered on opening night, you cannot remote control Mendis into submission.

Pakistan are one of the teams to have consistently succeeded against Mendis - an anomaly given how poor their record is against all kinds of spinners ordinary and otherwise. They play him as they might a medium-pacer and in an ODI series earlier this year in Pakistan, they got similarly-styled bowlers to bowl at their batsmen on marble surfaces. Though Pakistan lost the series, their top order tore into Mendis, always attacking him early.

England don't have a collective strategy but Andy Flower, the coach, believes that they are equipped to handle him and Muttiah Muralitharan. "There is no team plan on how to play their spinners. There will be very much individual plans on how they play the spinners. That is a good challenge and I want to see who comes out of that well." Flower, a fine player of spin, would've loved it, but his players, who are not so fine, are not likely to relish it as much.

"Seeing Mendis for the first time is surprising. But our guys have had a good look at footage, we've spoken to other people who had success against him. The guys are as prepared as they can be without actually playing against him."

There is hope, for far stranger things have happened on cricket fields, and not just in the fact that England cannot possibly be as bad as they were against Australia, but in the match's location. The Centurion is this tournament's designated turner and the Wanderers, if the Pakistan-West Indies game is anything to go by, a handy track for fast bowlers.

"Certainly we're happier playing them here than at Centurion. Centurion would've played right into their hands," Flower said. "The Wanderers turned a little yesterday but the bounce and pace of the pitch might suit us better."

It might but it might also suit Sri Lanka's fast bowlers equally well, if not more. That has been behind a fair bit of their success and if there is something in the surface, or in the air, few people have exploited it better this year than Nuwan Kulasekara, or even Thilan Thushara. And it's not as if England's pace men have set the world alight recently, something Flower acknowledged. "It will help the quicks for sure but we struggled to take wickets against Australia as well. We contained them reasonably well but we struggled to take wickets."

Ultimately there is nothing as appealing, or a greater spur, as the mirage of redemption, of any kind and amount. What will drive on England more is the opportunity to distance themselves from the wreck of their last ODI series; being thrashed day in, day out by the same team is still worse than being thrashed day in, day out by a different team.

"We didn't end the summer well, and it was very frustrating for us all," said Flower. "That doesn't mean we give up on the players. We've picked these guys because of their performances in the past. Now they have opportunities in an exciting environment to play good cricket. I am confident and looking forward to seeing how they perform under pressure, which is the exciting thing about international cricket."

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

Sri Lanka drub SA in rain-hit game | Ajantha took 3 for 30

South Africa v Sri Lanka, Champions Trophy, Group B, Centurion

September 22, 2009

Sri Lanka 319 for 8 (Dilshan 106, Jayawardene 77, Sangakkara 54) beat South Africa 206 for 7 (Smith 58, Mendis 3-30) by 55 runs (D/L)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Tillakaratne Dilshan ensured that Sri Lanka didn't suffer from Sanath Jayasuriya's early dismissal © Getty Images

Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world's No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side. Graeme Smith's decision to field was based on the amount of dew around, but bar Dale Steyn none of the bowlers made an impression in the afternoon. Dilshan's 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains former and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

Sri Lanka carried the energy from their powerful batting display into the field and Ajantha Mendis, unlike the home side's spinners, extracted bounce and movement under lights. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed signs of dominance with an 81-run stand in quick time but once Smith was bowled by Mendis' first delivery, and Kallis and JP Duminy fell in successive balls, Sri Lanka had applied the chokehold.

Smith had a smile on his face when the toss went his way and Steyn nipped out Sanath Jayasuriya, but it was soon replaced by a frown. In a 156-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who provided solid support with 54 from 78 balls, Dilshan played anchor and aggressor in equal measure. The first to feel Dilshan's force was Wayne Parnell, preferred to Makhaya Ntini; he struggled to hit a consistent length and went for 39 in five overs. It was a recurring leitmotif in those early overs, Parnell dragging the ball down and Dilshan pinging the deep point and midwicket boundaries. Albie Morkel was thrashed for 22 in two overs as Sri Lanka reached 100 in the 13th over.

The onslaught forced Smith, who refused to delay the Powerplay, to turn to his spin pair to try and stop the destruction. The pair stemmed the flow of boundaries but lacked bite and Sri Lanka ticked along at over six an over. Dabs, drives, flicks, shots off angled bats, and punches all evaded fielders and Sangakkara brought up his first half-century since February. He fell to an innocuous delivery from Duminy, after which Dilshan's boundary blasting - he hit 16 fours and a six - ended when he slashed the first ball of Steyn's return over to third man.

Sri Lanka used the platform extremely well and crossed 300 thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardene's 77 off 61. He was his usual deft self: cutting, nudging and pushing into the gaps with excellent timing. His feet constantly moved as he made room to create singles and, with Thilan Samaraweera playing in a similar groove, Sri Lanka pressed ahead. Before South Africa knew it Jayawardene was 40 off 41 balls - the majority of those runs coming from controlled paddles and sweeps - and the stage was set for a late surge; the final ten overs cost 85. Parnell gave some respectability to his figures by dismissing Jayawardene and Samaraweera in successive deliveries though by then Sri Lanka were 297 for 5 in the 46th over.

Chasing more than a run a ball from the start, South Africa needed a strong platform. They were in early trouble when Hashim Amla was cleaned up by Angelo Mathews off an inside edge in the third over. Kallis joined Smith, looking leaner having shed a few kilos, and the pair milked the wayward Nuwan Kulasekara, who seemed to contract Parnell's problem of bowling short. Kallis was quick to punish him and Kulasekara's fifth over went for 14 with Smith particularly strong through the off side.

While Smith danced down the track at will and shuffled about to unsettle the fast bowlers, Kallis chose to clip the ball sweetly from the crease. Smith looked increasingly confident at the crease, but playing for a Mendis offbreak he missed one that skidded and hurried on and had his leg stump pegged back.

Mendis had again proved a valuable go-to man for his captain by ending the flourishing partnership. Smith's bullish start hinted at the possibility of a Dilshan-style ambush, but inside four overs Mendis ripped the heart out of the batting order. Kallis showed glimpses of his class in compiling a brisk 41 before he was excellently caught at mid-off by a tumbling Mathews. Next ball, Duminy was castled by a flipper.

The required run-rate was already above seven at 113 for 4 in the 21st over, placing too much pressure on the rest of the order. Lasith Malinga, having bowled just one over at the start, returned to dismiss AB de Villiers and later snapped a gung-ho stand between Morkel and Johan Botha before rain interrupted the chase. At that stage Sri Lanka were well in command, and were later adjudged deserved winners.

Sri Lanka had previously lost only once after posting a 300-plus total in one-day internationals and, led by Mendis, the masters of asphyxiation struck. Adapting to early-season South African conditions superbly, Sri Lanka have taken the lead in showing that Asian teams are a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. South Africa, frustratingly, have shown again why their ability in multi-team tournaments has long been questioned.

Jamie Alter is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Jayawardene steers Sri Lanka to victory - Mendis took 3 for 31

Cricinfo staff

September 20, 2009

A brace of three-wicket hauls from Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, along with a half-century from Mahela Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to a comfortable five-wicket victory in their warm-up match against West Indies in Pretoria. After conceding 306 runs against Pakistan on Friday, Sri Lanka's bowlers were more effective against a weak West Indies. Dale Richards and Devon Smith scored half-centuries but, apart from Darren Sammy, no one else got to double figures. They had reached a respectable 121 for 2 before Murali and Mendis went about dismantling the middle and lower order. Murali took 3 for 17 and Mendis claimed 3 for 31 as West Indies were bowled out for 201 in the 46th over.

Sri Lanka began the chase shakily, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya falling within the first ten overs, but Jayawardene steadied the innings by scoring 67 before he was out hit wicket to Gavin Tonge. There were also useful contributions from Kumar Sangakkara (35) and Thilina Kandamby (44) not out and Sri Lanka reached the target in the 48th over.

Fresh off their meeting during the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka, New Zealand turned the tables and pulled off an impressive 103-run victory against India at Potchefstroom. Martin Guptill (63) and Jesse Ryder (57) set a strong platform, adding 60 for the second wicket, before Neil Broom let loose. Broom smashed 66 off 46 balls, comprising five boundaries and four sixes, and figured in two crucial 40-plus partnerships with Grant Elliott and Daniel Vettori. The Indian fast bowlers were largely ineffective in the face of the onslaught with Yusuf Pathan ending as India's most successful bowler with 3 for 46.

Chasing 302, the Indian top order never capitalised on their starts. Abhishek Nayar provided some fight, scoring a quick 41, which included six fours. New Zealand shared the wickets around with Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond taking two apiece, as India were bowled out in the 41st over.

An unbeaten 130 from Shoaib Malik guided Pakistan to a six-wicket victory against Warriors at Benoni. He added 110 with Mohammad Yousuf and 96 with Misbah-ul-Haq as the runs were knocked off with 19 balls to spare.