Fernando and Mendis hurt Zimbabweans

Zimbabwe Select XI v Sri Lankans, Bulawayo

Cricinfo staff in Bulawayo

November 12, 2008

Sri Lankans 50 for 0 (Tharanga 31*, Udawatte 17*) trail Zimbabwe Select XI 159 (Chigumbura 33, Mendis 4-59) by 109 runs
Scorecard

Sri Lanka began their tour of Zimbabwe in bullish fashion, dismissing a Zimbabwe Select XI for 159 on a rain-affected first day of their warm-up match in Bulawayo. Ajantha Mendis picked up four wickets and in reply, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Udawatte propelled the tourists to 50 without loss in 14 overs.

The umpires twice suspended play because of drizzle and eventually ended the day 20 minutes early due to bad light.

Zimbabwe's innings began poorly when Chamu Chibhabha steered a very wide delivery to gully, and it never gained any real momentum other than a brief seventh-wicket renaissance of 46 from Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya which lent the score a degree of respectability. They missed the experience and bravery of Tatenda Taibu, who was dropped in rather odd circumstances. Dilhara Fernando took full advantage early on, picking up two of the first four wickets to fall, including the promising Hamilton Masakadza leg-before for 26.

It wasn't long before Mendis was brought into the attack and he soon bowled Regis Chakabva to get his name on the scoreboard. When he followed that up with the wicket of Keith Dabengwa, also bowled, Zimbabwe had slipped to 90 for 6. However, Chigumbura and Utseya staved off the collapse with a vital seven-wicket stand of 46.

Aware of the situation, both players dropped anchor and gradually shovelled Zimbabwe's total past 100, but Fernando returned to have Utseya caught behind for 22 while Chigumbura - who had spent over two hours at the crease - was beaten by Mendis. Angelo Mathews mopped up a flaccid tail.

Zimbabwe squandered an early chance when Mahela Udawatte edged Christopher Mpofu but Stuart Matsikenyeri at second slip failed to hold onto a routine catch. Tharanga went on the attack and cracked five fours in his unbeaten 31 while Udawatte ended on 17 as Sri Lanka made brisk headway to reach 50 in 14 overs.

Unless the weather plays a major part, this match appears unlikely to go into a fourth day.

© Cricinfo

‘Mendis’s arrival will prolong my career’

Special Correspondent, The Hindu

Colombo: In some disconcerting news for batsmen around the world, Muttiah Muralitharan, a predator of an off-spinner, announced on Saturday that the arrival of a young help-mate would prolong his career.

“Now that Ajantha (Mendis) has come, I think I can play Test cricket a few more years,” said Muralitharan after the spinners had combined to take 19 of India’s 20 wickets in the first Test here at the SSC.

“Bowling 50 overs in an innings is very hard. Now if I can play only 30-35 overs and he can bowl more than me — he is a youngster still — the job will get easier for me.”

Muralitharan had more bad news for international batsmen. He said his spin partner would prove just as much of a scourge.

“When I started, I had just the off-spin, and I had bigger turn. He has more variations. That’s difficult for the batsmen. If he keeps his head calm and keeps performing this way, he will definitely take a lot of wickets in international cricket.”

Credit for seniors

Mendis, for his part, credited the seniors in the side for his success. “I had the senior players helping me around, especially Murali bowling from the other end,” said the nerveless debutant. “I didn’t feel nerves because it was just another game for me.”

Muralitharan dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in both innings, earning the distinction of having dismissed the master the most times (7) in Test cricket. “I bowled very well to him, keeping the pressure and both times, he played false shots,” said Muralitharan, describing his strategy.

Sri Lanka’s win also involved several excellent calls for referral.

“If it wasn’t there, we probably would have had four bad decisions going against us in this match,” said Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain who made three of them (batsman Tillkaratne Dilshanmade the other).

Tough decisions

Added Jayawardene, “Sachin’s and Rahul’s decisions were both tough ones for the umpires to pick up, especially when you have two bowlers like Murali and Ajantha at the batsmen on these kind of tracks. It is not easy. They just needed that extra bit of help.”

Ajantha Mendis: The Next Big Thing In Cricket

Okay, this guy is the next big thing in world cricket. Ajantha Mendis is a 23 year old Sri Lankan spin bowler and he has just helped Sri Lanka defeat India by a massive innings and 239 runs in Colombo.

Muralitharan won the player of the match award for match figures of 42-7-110-11. Mendis, in his debut match, provided a perfect foil with match figures of 45.5-8-132-8.

What makes Mendis so special? He's an Iverson type spin bowler. Instead of spinning the ball like a traditional leg-spinner, he flicks it with his middle finger while he bowls it out of the back of his hand. Since the finger is almost impossible for a batsman to see, there is no way to judge which way the ball is spinning - thus a batsman can only read it after it pitches.

In the end, there are only three sorts of deliveries a spin bowler can deliver - one which spins towards leg, one which spins towards off, and one which goes straight on. If a batsman cannot judge which way the ball is going and is forced to read it off the pitch, only back-foot shots can be played with any form of confidence.

To the right is Jack Iverson's grip, which I assume is similar to what Mendis is able to do. So far Mendis' career has been short but brilliant:

* 20 first class matches with 119 wickets at 14.68
* 8 One Day Internations with 20 wickets at 10.25
* 27 List A Matches with 57 wickets at 11.03
* 7 Twenty20 Matches with 6 wickets at 20.33

I am really excited about this guy. I think he is going to turn international cricket on his head and hopefully produce some more Iverson type spinners.

Update:
Read this article by Cricinfo about Mendis. They point out that it has been over 20 years since India was decimated by spin bowling. Moreover, only three times in history have 2 bowlers taken 19 wickets in a test.