Malinga to miss second Test against India - Mendis in

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

July 24, 2010

Lasith Malinga isn't fit enough to torment India once again in the second Test © AFP

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has been rested from the second Test against India beginning in Colombo on July 26. Malinga was one of the architects of Sri Lanka's ten-wicket win in Galle but will miss out at the SSC because of "stiffness in his knee". He will be replaced by Dilhara Fernando, while spinner Ajantha Mendis also returned to the squad.

Aravinda de Silva, the chairman of selectors, said Malinga was rested on the advice of team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek after the bowler complained of stiffness in his dodgy right knee, which had kept him out of Test cricket for 30 months.

"We have to be cautious with Malinga. He was not feeling quite fit to go through a five-day Test. He complained of stiffness in his knee," de Silva said. "We are closely monitoring Malinga's fitness and we are hopeful he will be fully fit for the third Test starting in ten days time." The third Test starts on August 3 at the P Sara Oval.

Malinga had made his comeback to Test cricket in Galle after a long absence and played a critical role in Sri Lanka's victory by taking 5 for 50 in the second innings. He bowled a total of 30 overs in the match for seven wickets.

The setback to Malinga is a severe blow for Sri Lanka especially since the SSC Test will be their first after Muttiah Muralitharan retired from the format. Malinga and Muralitharan had combined to take 15 of India's 20 wickets in Galle.

Mendis, who had taken 6 for 67 in a practice game against the Indians but was overlooked for the first Test, is likely to take Muralitharan's place. The other contender for the spot, offspinner Suraj Randiv, retained his place in the squad.

Following Muralitharan's retirement, former captain Mahela Jayawardene was named vice-captain to Kumar Sangakkara. "We want Mahela, who has a good cricket brain, to be part of the decision-making process in the middle," de Silva said.

Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welagedara, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Thilina Kandamby, Dammika Prasad, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Pradeep.

Much depends on the third M

Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test, Colombo

Sidharth Monga in Colombo

July 24, 2010

In the absence of Murali and Malinga, Ajantha Mendis becomes Sri Lanka's biggest threat © AFP

M&M has been the theme of India's last two tours of Sri Lanka. In 2008 it was Murali and Mendis, in 2010's first Test India were demolished by Murali and Malinga. By the second Test of the series, one of the Ms has retired, the other has broken down.

Thankfully for Sri Lanka, it doesn't seem to be a serious injury. Not enough, it seems, to make the fast bowler wonder whether coming back to Test cricket was the right move. "It is just some stiffness in the knee," Champaka Ramanayake, the bowling coach, said, "Nothing to do with the old injury. If all goes right he should be back by the third Test."

The selectors have a tough choice to make with Malinga. "After what he has gone through - people thought that he might not be able to play cricket again, some even thought he might not be able to walk - when you come out of that state, you have to respect what his body is saying," said Ranjit Fernando, one of the national selectors. "And that's what we are doing because we can't take one day at a time. We have to look at the World Cup. He is going to play a very important role during the World Cup.

"So that's where it stands right now. If he says that he is ready by the time the third Test comes and also if the physio certifies it, he may feature in the third Test. We have no clue as to how a body is behaving, so we have to look up to people who know it the best."

Until he does come back, the third M, Ajantha Mendis, who himself is making a comeback after a rather indifferent second year in Test cricket, has a big job to do. If his debut was hugely anticipated, this comeback will also be keenly watched. Not the least because he will be the only man in the attack with an average under 30. Or because he has been treated rather shabbily by the Indian and Pakistani batsmen after that magical debut series.

Saman Hervavitharana, Mendis' first coach, at Army Sports Club, believes technical flaws had crept into Mendis' bowling over the last two years. He had started rushing through his run-up, and more importantly he had stopped getting close enough to the stumps while delivering. That, Hervavitharana says, took away his accuracy and made the variations less effective.

On his comeback trail, a few days after being left out of the squad for the first Test, Mendis did make an emphatic statement. He took 6 for 67 in the tour game against the Indians, including the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir. He was lucky to get Tendulkar out lbw, but he had also managed to beat him with a carrom ball. He troubled Laxman for a longer period before getting his wicket.

Hervavitharana didn't see the tour game, but believes Mendis is bowling better. "A bit better, but not at his best." He hasn't worked with Mendis, who is with the national team, much of late, though Mendis called him today before going for his first net session back with the national team.

Mendis will know that with all the technical analysis of his bowling, given the flat pitch at the SSC and the inexperience of the whole attack, "a bit better" might not be enough.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Ajantha Mendis continues hosts' domination

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga in Colombo

July 14, 2010

Sri Lanka Board President's XI 514 for 9 decl (Tharanga 110, Kandamby 101, Samaraweera 101, Thirimanne 66) lead Indians 291 (Yuvraj 118, Gambhir 89, Mendis 6-67) by 223 runs
Scorecard

Ajantha Mendis did his Test prospects no harm with a six-for © AFP

Yuvraj Singh made optimum use of the tour game to ensure his place at No. 6 in the Test line-up, scoring an entertaining and assured century, but could not save the Indians the embarrassment of not making the follow-on mark against the Board Presidents' XI. Ajantha Mendis gave the selectors enough reasons to pick him for the second Test, taking the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir among his six.

That the Indians could last only 64.2 overs will add more concern on a tour that has brought them much bad news. Two of their first-choice bowlers have gone back to India, one is down with fever, the rest of the bowlers struggled, and when their turn came to bat they could last just two sessions.

Twin strikes from Chanaka Welegedara and Mendis had left the Indians at a precarious 80 for 4, but Yuvraj took the initiative in attacking Mendis and added 143 with Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir got three lives, played well otherwise, but missed out on a century. Another collapse ensued, and Yuvraj fought cramps, shielded Ishant Sharma, but could not see the Indians through to the follow-on mark.

After Pragyan Ojha took two tail-end wickets to complete a potentially Test-spot-sealing five-for, Thilan Samaraweera declared the innings to give the Indians six overs to bat before lunch. Virender Sehwag and Gambhir entertained in that short spell. Sehwag hit the first ball of spin he faced for six over extra cover, in the last over before the break, from offspinner Sachitra Senanayake, bowling ahead of Mendis.

The first ball after the break, though, Sehwag played on from Welegedara, and in the same over Mendis misjudged a leading edge from Gambhir, who was 17 then. Rahul Dravid soon edged one to slip. Sachin Tendulkar beautifully punched the first ball he faced for four, but fell lbw in Mendis' first over. The carrom ball, though, seemed to be missing the off stump, and Tendulkar suggested as much as he walked off. VVS Laxman didn't look comfortable against Mendis, and duly edged a quick legbreak. At that point, the follow-on looked not only a possibility but the favoured outcome.

During the collapse, Gambhir faced a testing spell of swing from Welegedara and short-pitched stuff from Dilhara Fernando, who found his edge but saw Dinesh Chandimal drop him in the slips. Soon after Laxman's dismissal, Samaraweera dropped at short extra cover the easiest of chances that Gambhir presented, which would have made the score 80 for 5. Gambhir was 30 then, and in the same over cleared Samaraweera comfortably.

Mendis, bowling in a nice rhythm then, beat Yuvraj with a googly. That was the last instance in a long time that the bowlers would come close to a moral victory against Yuvraj. The most impressive aspect of the innings was how Yuvraj used his feet against the spinners, the breed of bowlers known to trouble him the most in Tests.

The next googly Mendis tried, he read early, stepped out of the crease, and sent out of the stadium. Gambhir followed lead and lofted Mendis over long-off. Soon Mendis was taken off, and it went smoothly for both the batsmen. Yuvraj was particularly harsh, hitting six sixes, over long-on, midwicket and square leg. When the straight field was set back, he used the sweep shot to good effect, finding boundaries. The punches and drives through covers were not to be missed. There was cheekiness involved too, when they ran a single even as Senanayake was appealing for lbw and the ball hadn't even gone a few feet.

When Yuvraj was 62 off 55, Fernando got one to straighten from round the stumps. That was only the second time Yuvraj was beaten. The batsmen went into tea having raised their fifties and having deflated the attack for the time being. After tea, though, Gambhir looked to dominate Mendis some more, and paid the price. He tried to loft the bowler straight went towards long-on, and Upul Tharanga took a good catch running back. Soon MS Dhoni got out softly, guiding an offbreak to leg gully, off the face of the bat.

Mendis then wrapped his grip around the long tail, beating Amit Mishra with a wrong'un. When Ishant Sharma came to bat at No. 9, Yuvraj shielded him from Mendis, hit another huge six, but with cramps hampering his foot movement, he missed an offbreak from Senanayake when looking to slog-sweep.

Mendis got through the next two without trouble, India ended 223 short, and Samaraweera went for pain rather than possible humiliation, choosing to bat again rather than trying to go for a win against the visitors. Even as half of the Indian players, who had been sent for net practice to another ground in the city, hurriedly made their way back, bad light ensured the Board Presidents' XI's innings wouldn't start.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Mendis responds to Test snub in style

He may have lacked the accuracy shown in the 2008 series, but Ajantha Mendis has made a strong case for an early recall to the Test side

Sidharth Monga in Colombo

July 14, 2010

It won't be surprising if Sri Lanka call Mendis up for one last tango with Muttiah Muralitharan © AFP

Ajantha Mendis will be a factor in this series. It could be the Kookaburra, it could be the pitches, it could be something in the Sri Lankan air, but after his 6 for 67 against India's Test line-up, he just can't be ignored. In fact it won't be surprising if Sri Lanka call him up for one last tango with Muttiah Muralitharan, for old times' sake. Old times, which admittedly lasted only three Tests after which Mendis seemed to be sorted out.

Against his favoured opponents, though, which happens to arguably be the best middle-order of our times, Mendis - out of the squad for the first Test in Galle, Murali's last - did enough to cast doubts in selectors' minds if they were ever thinking about going the whole series without him. The main chunk of work, as it usually is with Mendis, was swift.

Mendis came on to bowl after Chanaka Welegedara had given the Board President's XI two breakthroughs, but he was now bowling to perhaps the two best players of spin in India: Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir. The first ball he bowled was clipped away for one by Gambhir. Tendulkar stretched forward and defended the second - play him like a seamer, remember? The third ball was the carrom ball, the pitch offered him turn, and the umpire seemed to have assisted on the lbw even as it seemed to be missing off. But the signs were there, he had at least beaten Tendulkar's bat, and squared him up, something he seemed incapable of doing when he played his solitary Test in India.

He troubled VVS Laxman for a longer period. The turning pitch made the carrom ball effective, Laxman was seen jabbing at legbreaks away from his body, and soon the edge came. Two quick wickets in 16 deliveries, and even though this is a tour match, memories of 2008 came back. There was soon a big shout for caught-behind against Yuvraj Singh, but the umpire said he had merely beaten the batsman. As soon as Gambhir and Yuvraj started to counterattack, Thilan Samaraweera took Mendis off. Two sharp strikes had been made, and it appeared they didn't want to expose too much of Mendis.

"By and large, it's a question of when to use him," said Ranjit Fernando, a national selector, a day before the start of the game. "You don't want to overexpose him. A precious commodity like him has to be handled as best as we can. We may probably not be 100% while handling him, we may make mistakes, but the intention is to use him in an optimum manner."

When Samaraweera was asked whether what they saw in Mendis' six overs was enough to impress them, and they later took him off to not show too much of him to the opposition, he just laughed in a manner not ruling out that that indeed was the thinking.

Fernando also said there was no way Mendis was out of their plans. "He might be devastating on a wicket that has bounce," Fernando said. "That's one of the problems he has had recently. Pitches in Sri Lanka have lacked bounce. Murali, by wearing batsmen down, has picked up wickets. But someone other than him doesn't have the patience. At the same time, it will be foolish to write him off. If you say that people have found a way to play him, he will be the first person to make you look like an idiot."

Later, when Mendis was brought back in the final session, the partnership between Gambhir and Yuvraj was flourishing. The feeling that Mendis needed to be dominated played a role in Gambhir's dismissal, when he mis-hit an attempted straight loft. With the tail - and it was a long one with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan out - Mendis was swift, taking out Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha out cheaply. The wickets might have come easily, but the importance of a man who can run through the tail cannot be overstated.

Still, Mendis didn't bowl as well as figures of 6 for 67 suggest. The accuracy of 2008, the habit of staying at it throughout the spells, isn't quite fully back. There were a fair few long hops bowled, and he was lucky Yuvraj didn't hit most of them because they were bowled out of his reach down the leg side.

This is also just a tour game. The pressures of playing a Test are different, the mindset of the same batsmen will be different. He might not have the luxury of coming in to bowl at 67 for 2, he might not have 500-plus on the board. There are many factors to suggest this performance won't necessarily translate into success in Tests, but surely Mendis has earned the right to have a go at it.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Bowlers the focus in tour opener

Sidharth Monga in Colombo

July 12, 2010

Ajantha Mendis will have to prove to the selectors that he's the man to fill the void left by Murali © AFP

Colts Cricket Club Ground is an idyllic, old-fashioned cricket ground, surrounded by trees, in Havelock Town in Colombo 5. A late replacement for the Nondescripts Cricket Club, the Colts Ground was slated to host what is usually a quaint tour game to kick off India's tour, but the game has now become almost a Test trial for both sides.

India have run into fitness issues, with Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth injured and Harbhajan Singh down with fever. Sri Lanka have chosen a strong Board President's XI side, with six members from the Test squad looking to impress the team management. Ajantha Mendis, not in the squad for the first Test, has been given an opportunity too.

The Indian XI is now wide open. If Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and M Vijay get picked for the tour game, a really impressive show from any one of them against an attack featuring Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara and Mendis could seal him the No. 6 spot for the Galle Test.

More interesting and desperate is the bowling department. With Zaheer and Sreesanth now out, Abhimanyu Mithun will be backing himself for the Test pace attack along with Ishant Sharma. Mithun, though, will look for a solid performance against the likes of Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne to make sure that Sreesanth's replacement, to be named some time on Monday, doesn't overtake him in the preference for the Test slot.

Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha have for long been taking turns to assist Harbhajan in the spin department, but neither of them has impressed the selectors enough to become a definite starter. With Harbhajan still recovering from the fever and yet to attend a training session, both of them are likely to get a chance to stake claims for the Test spot.

Sri Lanka, too, have an uncertain bowling line-up, especially the pace department. While Muttiah Muralitharan is a definite starter, Galle being his last Test, either of Rangana Herath or Suraj Randiv will form the spin duo. Among the fast bowlers, though, any two of Lasith Malinga, Dammika Prasad, Fernando and Welegedara can be picked in the XI.

Two of them, Fernando and Welegedara, will get a chance in Colombo to send notice to the captain and the coach. That two of them have been asked to show their form in the tour game could suggest that Malinga and Prasad have a lead over them, but a five-for against a near-Test side never hurt anybody.

Most interesting, though, will be how Mendis bowls. He will be up against the same batting line-up that he tortured two years ago; the same batsmen have been torturing him since. He knows there will be a vacancy with Murali retiring after the first Test. He also knows he needs to convince them that he is the man to fill it. Mendis will be bowling to get his Test career back on track, to the same set of blokes he launched it against in the first place.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Mendis left out of home series against India

India in Sri Lanka 2010

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

July 9, 2010

Lasith Malinga is set to play his first Test since December 2007 © AFP

Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been named in the 16-member Sri Lanka squad for the three-Test series against India beginning on July 18, setting him up for a return to Tests after two-and-a-half years . However, there was no place for spinner Ajantha Mendis, who tormented India during their previous Test visit two years ago.

Malinga played his last Test against England at Galle in 2007 before a knee injury laid him low and forced him out of cricket for nine months. Malinga was cured by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse's personal physician Dr Eliyantha White and since then his appearances for his country has been only in limited-over internationals and in Twenty20 Internationals.

Malinga's return to Test cricket was slow because the team physio did not want to push him too early to play in the longer version of the game. However selection committee sources stated that they had got the greenlight from physio Tommy Simsek who has been monitoring Malinga's progress carefully that he was now fully fit to play in a five-day Test match.

"Malinga has nine more days before the first Test against India and we are confident he will be fit to play. He has been bowling long spells at the nets and has shown no side effects," a selection committee source said. Since making his Test debut against Australia at Darwin in 2004, Malinga has played in 28 Tests and captured 91 wickets.The other members of the fast-bowling department are Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad.

Offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is due to retire at the end of Galle Test has also been named in the squad along with left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and young off-spinner Suraj Randiv who is likely to take Muralitharan's place for the rest of the series. Mendis, who became a star with 26 wickets in three Tests against India when they visited in 2008, was left out.

The Sri Lanka Board President's team to take on India in a three-day practice match ahead of the Tests was also named. Thilan Samaraweera will lead the side which includes first-choice Test keeper Prasanna Jayawardene and promising batsmen Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan and Dinesh Chandimal.

Test squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan (vc), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Fernando, Dammika Prasad, Suraj Randiv, Thilina Kandamby, Chanaka Welegedara, Lahiru Thirimanne.

Sri Lanka Board President's XI: Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thilina Kandamby, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Ashan Priyanjana, Kaushal Silva, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Chaminda Vidanapathirana, Sachitra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Kusal Janith, Dinesh Chandimal

India can handle Mendis - Dravid

Cricinfo staff

June 28, 2010

Rahul Dravid will make his return to international cricket on India's tour of Sri Lanka after an absence of almost six months © Associated Press

Rahul Dravid is confident India can handle the threat posed by "mystery spinner" Ajantha Mendis on the tour of Sri Lanka next month. Mendis tormented India's batsmen in 2008, taking 26 wickets in what was his debut series, as the home side emerged 2-1 winners over three Tests.

Dravid said India had figured out Mendis over the last two years and should be able to play him well. "He is still a good bowler," he told reporters. "He was completely new to us when we toured Sri Lanka last time. He got the measure our team last time, there is no doubt about it. He played a major role in the series. But hopefully, we have learnt our lesson.

"I think we played him pretty well when he came to India. We learnt how to tackle him. Having said that international bowlers keep on improving, international bowlers come up with new tricks every time. But hopefully we will have the answers [to] whatever Mendis throws at us this time."

Mendis played just one Test on Sri Lanka's tour of India last year, taking two wickets while conceding 162 runs.

The last time Dravid played international cricket was in January, when he scored an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the second of two Tests. Injury ruled him out the subsequent series against South Africa, but he was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team that finished third in the IPL. He said he needed a little time to get back into the rhythm of Test cricket.

"Sometimes, it is little bit of challenge to return to Test cricket after a long break but there is preparation time in Sri Lanka. I am looking forward to some match practice before the series."

However, Dravid said the break from cricket was good for him and he has been training hard over the last six weeks to get ready for the tour. He predicted a close contest between two rivals who have seen a lot of each other in recent times.

"Sri Lanka is a very formidable team and they play tough cricket at home. In the last two times we travelled there, we won a Test match but did not win the series. It is a positive sign to win a Test there but it is now important for us to keep that performance going right throughout the upcoming series.

"It is going to be a challenge but we have got a good team. We have got bowlers who are capable of taking 20 wickets, which is important to win a Test. If we can put runs on the board, hopefully we will have a good series."

Galle will host the first Test, which kicks off on July 18, while the next two matches will be held in Colombo, at the SSC and the P Sara Oval. The second and third Tests are between July 26 and 30 and August 3 and 7 respectively.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

'Mendis was left out for tactical reasons' - de Silva

Asia Cup 2010

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

June 10, 2010

Aravinda de Silva believes Dinesh Chandimal will be better served on the A tour in Australia, rather than warming the benches during the Asia Cup © AFP

Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, said poor form was the reason for Sanath Jayasuriya's exclusion from the team for the Asia Cup, while Ajantha Mendis was left out for "tactical reasons".

"Sanath has not had a decent run lately we sidelined him after considering his performance over the past one year," de Silva said. "The decision to leave Mendis out was for tactical reasons. There are certain decisions we took for tactical reasons. Those areas I wouldn't want the opposition or any other team to know. It was discussed among the captain and the team management. I will talk to the players individually and explain to them so that they know why we have taken such a decision."

Jayasuriya's miserable form with the bat continued at the World Twenty20 where he averaged 3.75 from six matches, leading to speculation about his future in the side. Mendis played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's victory in the recently concluded tri-series in Zimbabwe, so his exclusion for the Asia Cup was met with surprise. The selectors also gave unexpected call-ups to allrounder Farveez Maharoof and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. "When we talk of allrounders there are two types: a bowling allrounder and a batting allrounder. Angelo Mathews is a batting allrounder and we wanted a bowling allrounder so we picked Maharoof," de Silva said.

"We took Maharoof's record in Dambulla and he had performed well in the conditions there. When he was injured he couldn't play many matches and some of the matches he played were while he was recovering which we have also considered. Now that he is 100% fit we will look at his performance from now on," he said.

Herath, De Silva stated was added to the bowling to lend it some variety. "We wanted some variation in the bowling attack. Since we are playing seven games at Dambulla the pitch might take turn towards the end of the tournament so we should have some sort of variation within the squad in case we need to have a bowler who bowls left-arm spin. Also Pakistan has got a fair bit of right-handers. We needed a bowler who will be able to bowl during the Powerplays. That's the reason why we have gone for him with his experience."

De Silva said that the Sri Lankan batting line-up looked solid with a line up consisting of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera and Thilina Kandamby.

When media personnel raised the question why two youngsters - Dinesh Chandimal and Jeevan Mendis - who performed well in Zimbabwe were not included, de Silva said, "Chandimal and Jeevan have got great potential. It was very heartening to see them perform the way they did. We are playing three games initially in the Asia Cup and when you look at the team for the first two games they might not get the opportunity to play.

"If that happens we are depriving them of the opportunity to go and get some exposure in Australia. We thought the best idea would be to allow them to go to Australia with the Sri Lanka A team and play there. That's one tour I will follow very closely which I think will be competitive. It will really separate the men from the boys, a tour of Australia," de Silva said.

Dilshan century drives Sri Lanka to title - Ajantha took 2/44

Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, Final, Harare

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

June 9, 2010

Sri Lanka 203 for 1 (Dilshan 108*, Tharanga 72) beat Zimbabwe 199 (Taibu 71, Fernando 3-36) by nine wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Nuwan Kulasekara's opening spell significantly damaged Zimbabwe's chances of victory © Associated Press

On the final day of the tri-series, the clock struck 12 and Zimbabwe's Cinderella XI ran into harsh reality. Put into bat, they were accosted by top-quality swing bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara and Dilhara Fernando, and the damage done in those early overs was too great to reverse for a resourceful Tatenta Taibu, who swept and hustled his way to 71. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga were ruthless in finishing Zimbabwe off with a 160-run opening stand.

Zimbabwe were also hit hard by their batsmen's general tendency to not play the full-blooded cut shot. Brendan Taylor, their best batsman of the tournament, and Taibu, the best on the final day, both fell to limp cuts, finding gully and point respectively. On the big day, Zimbabwe displayed muddled thinking too: with five wickets down, both Greg Lamb and Charles Coventry got out swinging, but the batting Powerplay wasn't taken before the 46th over. Nor did they open the bowling with spin, a move that had worked well for them. By the time Ray Price bowled his first over, Sri Lanka had already reached 38 in six overs.

At any rate, even Price's best effort might not have been enough. They were forced into perennial rebuilding mode by the Sri Lankan new-ball bowlers. Kulasekara swung the ball in, Fernando out, and Zimbabwe hardly looked like challenging the norm of chasing sides winning in the tournament. Kulasekara gave four runs in his first four overs for the wicket of Hamilton Masakadza, and Zimbabwe never really recovered.

If Fernando's bowling - fuller than his stock length, thus getting outswing - was a bonus, Kulasekara's use of the straighter delivery was just as good. When an asphyxiated Masakadza tried to counter the inswing by walking across the stumps, the ball just held its line and took a healthy outside edge. Taylor struggled against the current, going from 4 off 10 to 19 off 21, but played perhaps his worst shot of the series when he looked to steer Fernando despite the presence of a gully fielder. Thilan Samaraweera went low to his right to complete the catch, and the openers were gone inside the first 10 overs.

The change-up bowlers were just as tight, and by the start of the 17th over Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine had scored 16 off 51 deliveries between them. The pressure showed in their going for risky runs: an over after Ervine survived a close one, Taibu ran him out, calling for a tight single and then sending him back.

Then began Zimbabwe's recovery. Taibu went on a sweeping spree, of both varieties. He and Lamb ran hard, putting behind them the run-out. One of those stolen singles earned them four overthrows too. In the 24th over, Taibu hit two lovely chipped boundaries over extra cover. From 7 off 24, he had moved to his fifty off just 70 balls, during a partnership of counterattack.

Taibu and Lamb had added 90 when Fernando was called back in the 36th over. Taibu got one short and wide, and he went for the cut. The bat face closed a touch early, and he held back a bit too. Instead of going over point, the ball went straight to the fielder.

A spell of ordinary cricket from Zimbabwe thereon resulted in a collapse. Lamb found it hard to keep alternating the strike, Elton Chigumbura played a tame chip to straight extra cover, and Lamb and Coventry succumbed to big shots without having opted for the Powerplay. Fernando and Ajantha Mendis made sure there was no final flourish, and only poor batting from Sri Lanka could now save the hosts.

Poor batting they were not going to get. Dilshan loved the pace Chris Mpofu and Chigumbura provided. He whipped the first ball he faced through midwicket, and never looked back. By the time Price came on to bowl, Dilshan had hit his way to 25 off 19. Once again, the Zimbabwe bowlers made the mistake of bowling too short to him, and paid the price.

With only a small target, the Sri Lankan openers didn't offer the Zimbabwe spinners the respect they were used to. Dilshan hit boundaries in Price's first two overs and, as has been the trend, Tharanga took over after the Dilshan blitz. By the 17th over, Tharanga had almost caught up with Dilshan, and brought up Sri Lanka's hundred with an effortless six over long-on, off the bowling of Prosper Utseya.

The only matter of interest then was the race between the batsmen to a century. It was ended when there was misunderstanding over a sharp single to short third man, and Tharanga sacrificed his wicket. With 40 runs required, Dilshan was the likelier man to get to the hundred, and he did, and overtook Taylor as the highest run-getter in the tournament.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Seamers set up comprehensive win for Sri Lanka - Ajantha took 2/19

New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2nd Twenty20, Florida

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

May 23, 2010

Sri Lanka 86 for 3 (Dilshan 33*, Perera 25) beat New Zealand 81 (N McCullum 36*, Vettori 27, Kulasekara 3-4, Malinga 3-12) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Nuwan Kulasekara found the perfect lines and lengths for the slow and low track that the USA has dished out, and ripped the heart out of New Zealand's batting with three wickets in his first over. Although Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum, the only New Zealanders to reach double figures, avoided the ignominy of the lowest total in Twenty20 internationals, 81 was never going to test Sri Lanka even on this pitch.

The win was set up by Kulasekara's first two overs, three wickets in the first and no runs in the second. He made the necessary adjustments from the first match: everything was stump to stump, slightly short of a length, and offcutters were bowled aplenty. That the innings started with Kumar Sangakkara standing up to the stumps, with no slip in sight, said a lot about the pitch. It didn't help New Zealand that their top-order batsmen were looking to play around their front pad, and the bowlers were hardly missing. There was no bounce in the pitch to take anything over the stumps either.

Aaron Redmond and Rob Nicol both fell to ones that Kulasekara got to jag in sharply. Brendon McCullum got a beauty in between those dismissals, this one holding its line. Ross Taylor, in the next over, played across the line to Angelo Mathews and paid the price. Gareth Hopkins, in to replace the injured Martin Guptill, went for an ill-advised single, and many dubious records were in sight.

Crisis man Vettori, though, found support from the older McCullum, and the two batted sensibly to add 45 for the sixth wicket. Neither of them looked to play across the line, both waited for the loose deliveries, which were rare. One of them was a full delivery from Mathews in the seventh over, which N McCullum punched down the ground for the first boundary of the innings. Vettori hit two more boundaries, both cleverly played reverse-sweeps against Sanath Jayasuriya.

The partnership came to an end when Vettori swept at Ajantha Mendis, and the fielding side and the umpire took the noise emanating for an edge. Vettori, though, demonstrated the exact spot on the pitch his bat had hit, which created the incriminating sound.

When N McCullum square-cut Thissara Perera through the fingers of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 16th over, the only other boundary of the piece, the score moved to 76, two more than the lowest total by a major team. Even though N McCullum kept New Zealand fighting, the lower order found full and straight bowling from Lasith Malinga too much, securing New Zealand's total in the format.

In the chase, Sri Lanka were hardly under any pressure, especially after Mahela Jayawardene got them going with a 12-ball 17. During his stay in the middle, batting looked at its easiest on this pitch not conducive to attractive cricket. Thissara Perera was sent in at the first drop, and he did his job by hitting two fours and a six in his 25 even as Tillakaratne Dilshan struggled for timing. Those two cameos were enough, though, to set the chase up, and Dilshan saw them through.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

New Zealand prevail on slow and low pitch - Ajantha took 2/18

New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 1st Twenty20, Florida

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera

May 22, 2010

New Zealand 120 for 7 (Taylor 27, Vettori 21*) beat Sri Lanka 92 (Styris 3-10) by 28 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Ross Taylor adapted well in tough conditions © Getty Images

Cricket's American adventure got off to an unattractive start in Florida. The slow and low pitch didn't make for an exciting match, and New Zealand grafted hard to reach 120 for 7. It proved more than enough as Sri Lanka struggled and folded for 92.

The pitch was the villain of the piece. It certainly wasn't a batting surface, and it wasn't bowler-friendly either. It was a dull and lifeless track which sucked the pace and bounce from the deliveries and made shot-making almost impossible. The ball stopped on the batmen, kept low, and was immensely hard to time. And it certainly wasn't the perfect advertisement for cricket in a foreign land.

Only two Sri Lankan batsmen managed to adapt to the conditions, but neither hung around long enough to make a difference in the chase. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews batted with a rare fluency, but both fell as New Zealand slow bowlers, led by that king of slow strangulating offcutters, Scott Styris, called the shots. Mathews collected a four and a six with hits over midwicket to loot 16 runs from the ninth over, bowled by Nathan McCullum, to reduce the equation to 74 from 11 overs. However, things went pear-shaped for Sri Lanka from then on.

Sangakkara fell, pulling a long hop from Daniel Vettori to deep square leg, and Mathews swung an offcutter from Styris to long-on. And when Chamara Kapugedera dragged the next ball - a short and slow offcutter - to deep midwicket, Sri Lanka needed 59 from 44 balls. It was a task beyond the reach and skill level of the lower order.

New Zealand too had struggled, but Ross Taylor showed self restraint and Daniel Vettori adapted well to push them to a decent total. It didn't make for a great viewing experience, but it brought some runs.

Taylor chose to concentrate on timing the ball as best as he could; he didn't play his typical expansive on-side swipes and worked the angles for singles. Vettori, too, did his best with his sweeps and swats and ensured New Zealand used up the full 20 overs after Taylor was run out.

With the score on 75 for 4 in the 14th over, Taylor turned for a second run after pushing wide of third man, but Nuwan Kulasekara fired in a sharp throw to Sangakkara and caught him short. It was a crippling blow, but Vettori had the skill and the patience to push New Zealand over 100.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Sublime Jayawardene routs West Indies - Ajantha took 3/24

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill

May 7, 2010

20 overs Sri Lanka 195 for 3 (Jayawardene 98*, Sangakkara 68) beat West Indies 138 for 8 by 57 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye

Mahela Jayawardene scored freely all round the wicket to reach 98 against West Indies © Getty Images

Sri Lanka wrapped up a crushing 57-run win over a disappointingly lacklustre West Indies in Barbados after Mahela Jayawardene's sublime unbeaten 98 from 56 balls took them to 195 for 3. Jayawardene took full toll of a shambolic West Indian fielding performance in a 166-run partnership for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara - the highest of the tournament so far - and when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle fell early in West Indies' chase, the fight went from their batsmen.

The inept West Indian batting was merely a continuance of their fielding effort, as the rot set in when five straightforward chances went down to allow Sri Lanka to take their score into the stratosphere. Jayawardene, whose superb form carried his side into the Super Eights, displayed silky touch and superb manipulation of the bowling in his innings, and Sangakkara, while not quite in Jayawardene's league at the moment, matched him almost shot for shot.

Jerome Taylor, on his return to international cricket after a six-month lay-off, should have had Sanath Jayasuriya, opening in place of the wretchedly out-of-form Tillekaratne Dilshan, caught by Kieron Pollard at backward point from his second ball. It was a regulation chance for a fielder in that position, but Pollard couldn't hold on to it, and the lapse set the tone for West Indies' performance in the field for the rest of the afternoon.

After Kemar Roach got rid of Jayasuriya, Taylor suffered another lapse from his fielders in his second over, as the normally-reliable Gayle put Sangakkara down at slip before he had scored. Jayawardene lifted the very next ball handsomely over wide long on for six. With that, the moment had passed and the rest of the match was entirely Sri Lanka's.

Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene flashed airily at the odd delivery, but were level-headed enough to keep their composure and capitalise on the bad balls that came, predictably, at least once an over. As the partnership gained momentum, West Indies seemed almost resigned to the fact that a large total was in the offing, and a missed caught-and-bowled chance from Pollard's first ball of the match barely registered.

As West Indies' fielding became ever more ragged, a fourth chance was missed as Benn found bounce and turn to elicit a rare mistake from Jayawardene, who was tempted out of his crease by a flighted delivery. But Fletcher fumbled the take, allowing Jayawardene to scramble back. Three balls later, things became even more farcical as Jayawardene top-edged Benn almost straight up in the air, and Fletcher and Wavell Hinds, the two closest fielders, both stood back and watched the ball plummet down, each expecting the other to go for it.

It looked as though Jayawardene would be able to reach his second hundred of the tournament when he took 10 runs from Bravo's final two balls to reach 97 with six balls still to be bowled. He was stranded at the wrong end in the final over, unable to reach the landmark, but through him Sri Lanka were able to post a massive total.

Chanderpaul began with a paddled six over deep backward square and a cracking off drive in Angelo Matthews' first over, but was out next ball, top-edging an ugly swipe to be caught at short third man. Gayle followed him two balls later, undone by a touch of extra bounce and nip off the seam by the impressive Nuwan Kulasekara, and West Indies were 23 for 2. His wicket stunned the large crowd into silence, and a similarly shell-shocked Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo trundled along at under a run a ball for the first 30 runs of their partnership.

Their stand eventually crept past fifty, but soon after Bravo flapped Lasith Malinga straight to Matthews at cover with 120 needed off just 56 balls. With the hitting power of Pollard to come, it was still just possible that West Indies could get close, but inexplicably Andre Fletcher was sent in ahead of him, and struggled to get the ball off the square.

When Sarwan departed, chipping a tame return catch back to Mendis, Pollard finally arrived, but the Sri Lankan spin attack, together with Malinga's pinpoint yorkers, strangled every attempt to reach the boundary. The required run-rate rocketed up beyond 20, and even before Pollard skied Mendis to wide long on, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor of Cricinfo

Kolkata clinch hard-fought victory : Mendis took 2-22

Kolkata Knight Riders 181 for 3 (Ganguly 56, Mathews 46*, Gayle 40) beat Delhi Daredevils 167 for 8 (Sehwag 64, Gambhir 47, Mendis 2-22) by 14 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In stark contrast to the silence that accompanied the listless defence against Kings XI Punjab, the Eden Gardens faithful responded passionately to a charged performance from Kolkata Knight Riders, which derailed Delhi Daredevils' chase to secure an invaluable 14-run victory. At the heart of the turnaround was Sourav Ganguly, who scored a half-century to build a challenging total, after which he fielded like few believed he could: the direct hit that ran out Gautam Gambhir ended a threatening 99-run partnership and turned the game Kolkata's way. The result took them level on 10 points with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the fourth-placed team.

It nearly didn't happen for Kolkata though. Virender Sehwag, who was reprieved on 7 when the umpire failed to hear or see an edge, threatened to deliver Delhi their seventh win. His partnership with Gambhir put Delhi on course and he completed a 34-ball half-century, his slowest in the IPL. It was greeted with silence by Eden Gardens. Delhi needed 48 off 32 balls with seven wickets in hand when Ajit Agarkar's inswinger crashed into Sehwag's stumps, and the slide had begun.

Ajantha Mendis, chosen ahead of Shane Bond because of a dry pitch, had Kedar Jadhav caught at cover - Ganguly jumping to intercept a hard drive - in the 17th over. The next, from left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, was pivotal. He bowled Farveez Maharoof with one that pitched middle and hit off, before reacting athletically to run out Rajat Bhatia three balls later.

The decisive blow was struck by Ashok Dinda in the penultimate over when Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata's last threat, pulled to Brendon McCullum at midwicket. His exit left Delhi needing 30 off 10 balls, a task too hard for Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra. It was fitting that Dinda landed the last blow, for he had struck the first during an astonishing opening over. He hurried David Warner with four skiddy deliveries, cramping him for room, before beating him with the fifth - a quick one that uprooted offstump before Warner had brought his bat down. Delhi knew then that they were in for a scrap.

Unlike Ganguly, who used the pace of Dinda, Agarkar and Angelo Mathews, Gambhir instructed his bowlers - from Maharoof to Rajat Bhatia - to take the pace of the ball. It didn't work immediately for Kolkata made their best score at the end of ten overs this season - 88 - and had all wickets intact.

Chris Gayle, who had scored 40 off 21, fell soon after though, missing a swipe against Bhatia, and Ganguly followed in similar fashion against Vettori. Brendon McCullum was run out cheaply too and Kolkata scored only 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 to reach 130 for 3.

The innings needed acceleration and it was provided by Mathews and Tiwary. Mathews had been dropped Bhatia on 10 - a caught and bowled opportunity - and he made Delhi pay with two well-aimed blows over long-on. Tiwary joined in the hitting right at the end, and they boosted the innings by taking 18 runs off Mishra's last over. Their partnership was worth 70 in 6.5 overs, and it helped set Delhi a testing target in a match vital to Kolkata's semi-final chances.

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Sri Lanka make sweeping changes for Bangladesh tri-series

Tri-Nation Tournament in Bangladesh, 2009-10

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

December 29, 2009

Lahiru Thirimanne would be eager to make his senior team debut in Bangladesh © Getty Images

Poor form and player injuries have prompted Sri Lanka's selectors to make sweeping changes to the squad for the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh next month, also featuring India. Those dropped include batsmen Sanath Jayasuriya and Chamara Kapugedera, fast bowler Lasith Malinga and spinner Ajantha Mendis, all of whom had disappointing performances on the recent tour of India.

Sri Lanka lost the three-Test series 0-2, split the two Twenty20s and lost the five-match ODI series 1-3. Injuries to key players through the tour made the assignment in India all the more tough.

In fact, batsman Mahela Jayawardene, allrounder Angelo Mathews and bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando were not considered for the 15-man squad to Bangladesh, having picked up injuries in India.

Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera was spared the axe, due more to Jayawardene's injury, and selection committee sources said the 33-year-old right-hander would add experience to the batting line-up and help ease the pressure on captain Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga.

Among the new inclusions are Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, legspinner Malinga Bandara and fast bowler Thilan Thushara.

Silva, 30, finished as the top run-scorer in the domestic Premier League Tier A tournament, with 900 runs from 11 matches at 56.25 for Bloomfield, scoring three hundreds and four fifties during the campaign. Most impressive was his strike rate of 99.77. Having last played an ODI in August last year, and his last appearance for Sri Lanka being in the 2009 World Twenty20 final against Pakistan, he will keen to make the most of the opportunity.

"We think that Silva has a role to play in the World Cup. He is a fast accumulator of runs and he is a brilliant fielder," selection sources told Cricinfo.

Thirimanne, 20, finished as Ragama Cricket Club's leading run-getter this season, with 709 runs in eight matches at 59.08, including two centuries and five fifties. Selection panel sources said Thirimanne was an exciting prospect and his ability to finsh a game would be extremely handy.

His Ragama team-mate Bandara was also rewarded for his perseverence and was handed another opportunity to seal his place in the national side as a spinner. In fact, the uncertainty surrounding Muralitharan's availability for the 2011 World Cup has prompted the selectors to look elsewhere for spinning options.

Left-arm fast bowler Thushara also made a return to the side after a freak shoulder injury which forced him to return from India. Allrounder Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Suranga Lakmal and Suraj Randiv, who were replacements to India, have been retained.

The tournament will be played from January 4-13 with Sri Lanka taking on the hosts in the first match in Mirpur.

Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan (vice-captain), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thissara Perera, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Malinga Bandara, Suraj Randiv, Thilan Thushara, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welagedera

Ajantha Mendis misses out in Mumbai

Ajantha Mendis will not play in Mumbai © AFP

Ajantha Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka's playing XI for the decisive third Test in Mumbai, with the captain Kumar Sangakkara backing a third seam bowler at the Brabourne Stadium. Mendis was included for the second Test in Kanpur as the management opted for a three-pronged spin attack, but after taking 2 for 162 he has been axed.

"Mendis will have to sit out," said Sangakkara. "We'll probably go with an extra seamer than a spinner on this track, which doesn't look as dull as the one at Ahmedabad or Kanpur."

Nuwan Kulasekara, who has returned to full fitness, appeared to have the edge over Dilhara Fernando for the third pace bowler's spot. "In the last two to three series, [Nuwan] Kulasekara has been very consistent in both ODI and Test," said Sangakkara. "So, quality-wise I think Kulasekara has an edge. Dilhara Fernando is coming into the side after a while but he is bowling well and with a lot of pace. It is a tough choice and we'll have to make that tough choice today."

Sri Lanka's bowling combination that has won them 10 of their last 19 Test matches comprised three seamers. They paid the price in Kanpur, opting for a spin trio, and were thrashed by an innings and 144 runs inside four days. Trailing 1-0 in the three-Test series, it is now a must win situation for the visitors, as they look to avoid their first series loss in the last eight encounters, since losing 2-0 in Australia in 2007-08.

"We had a good one in the first Test, not a great game in the second," said Sangakkara. "It's a case of regrouping and keep doing the basics right. We have the side to beat any team in the world. This is another opportunity for us to do that.

"We created quite a few chances with the new ball in both innings of the first Test, and the second innings of the second Test. Creating opportunities is one thing and taking those chances is another. Those are the things that can turn a game especially when the batsmen go on to make big runs. We've got to make sure that our disciplines are good and our catching is right on the mark from ball one."

Sangakkara defended his key spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on the poor form he had shown in the series so far. "Murali is a bowler who has done so much for Sri Lanka and can sometimes have an off day. That's the way cricket goes. That doesn't mean he is any worse a bowler, he is still our best spinner and in my view the best spinner in the world. When you have that quality in the side you have to back that quality and that ability it's no different for tomorrow. Murali is still the spearhead of our attack and we back him 100% to turn it around and win a match for us."

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Murali and Mendis need to attack

From Sri Lanka's perspective, the second Test could hardly have been more disappointing. They travelled to India with a great deal of expectation and hope, with a team of undoubted quality. In Kanpur, though, they were comprehensively outplayed. It was their poorest Test performance for a long time.

Losing is one thing, but the manner in which the team wilted was alarming. The lack of fight was deeply worrying. After failing to force a win in Ahmedabad in the first Test, it was crucial to get the energy levels high and hit India hard, but when things did not go Sri Lanka's way on the first morning, they went flat fast.

The toss was undoubtedly important. The players all knew that day one was going to be the best day for batting before it started to turn. The loss of the toss was made worse by a spilled catch off Sehwag in the first over and then a very good lbw shout that was turned down. The team's disappointment was understandable, but their reaction was not: heads went down and the negative body language betrayed the evaporating self-belief.

Full credit to India's batsmen; I thought they were superb. They carried the attack to the Sri Lankan spinners, using their feet expertly and seizing on any scoring opportunity. They were aggressive and positive and the slow bowlers were put under a huge amount of pressure. The failure of the spinners to control the game pushed Sri Lanka out of their comfort zone.

After India had got off to a flying start, I was surprised Sri Lanka did not try to clamp down on the run rate with some old-fashioned boring cricket. India were allowed to score too quickly. With more restrictive tactics and field placements, especially against new batsmen, the run rate could have been kept down on the opening day, and that would at least have left Sri Lanka breathing. As it was, the runs were plundered so quickly that the Sri Lanka batting was placed under enormous pressure.

While there seems little doubt that Murali is past his peak, he is still the kingpin of Sri Lanka's attack. For me, the main issue is that he seems low on confidence. There are signs of self-doubt, and the end result is that he has lost a bit of zip. However, I still believe that if he is able to gather himself together mentally and trust and believe in himself, he will bounce back.

Ajantha Mendis was pretty flat and it is fair to say a lot more was expected from him. He needs to shift gears now because players are reading him. He was different and special at the beginning of his career, but batsmen are countering him now. He needs to rise to the challenge, keep his belief and be smarter. He needs more variations while still doing the basics well.

Credit to Rangana Herath. I thought he showed a lot of mental strength. The Indian batsmen understood the threat he posed and they went after him to try and prevent him settling. However, he kept tossing the ball up and sticking to his strengths. When the ball did start to grip on day two, as the pitch started wearing, batting became a different ball game against him.

The three-spinner strategy was not the success that Sri Lanka would have hoped for, but I don't believe it was the wrong tactic. If fewer runs had been conceded on the first day, and if Sri Lanka had pushed India into a second innings then they could really have had an impact.

The main issue for me has been that the spinners, particularly Murali and Ajantha, are not playing with the same confidence that we are used to seeing from them. They are both on the back foot and thinking defensively at a time when Sri Lanka needs them to have a spring in their step. They both need to trust their talent and go out there with a far more positive mindset.

The management are left with a difficult decision as they select the attack for the Mumbai Test. With Dammika Prasad fit again, they might be inclined to revert to two spinners, and that means making a choice between Murali and Ajantha. Murali is obviously the favourite but the final call has to be made after assessing his state of mind.

	Like Sachin Tendulkar frustrated the Sri Lankans on the final day in Ahmedabad, visibly upsetting some of them, Sri Lanka might at least have frustrated India in Kanpur, and thereby clawed back some of the momentum in a mental battle they started losing in the first Test

The batting was also a disappointment for Sri Lanka, although the top order was always under pressure after India was allowed to amass such a mountainous score. In such circumstances you need to just bat without worrying about the scoreboard or time. That, of course, is easier said than done, and in this game the top order did not handle the situation well. Mistakes were made under stress and some of the main batsmen were made to look very ordinary.

In the second innings Sri Lanka should have put up a stronger fight. While batting was harder than on the first day, there were no great terrors in the track even on the fourth day, and I thought India could have been made to work far harder for their victory. Like Sachin Tendulkar frustrated the Sri Lankans on the final day in Ahmedabad, visibly upsetting some of them, Sri Lanka might at least have frustrated India and thereby clawed back some of the momentum in a mental battle they started losing when they failed to trample on India on the evening of the third day and on the fourth morning in the first Test.

The management will also now need to assess whether a change needs to be made to the opening combination. Tharanga Paranavitana has now played nine Test matches but needs to begin making the big hundreds he scores in domestic cricket. In all of his last four innings he has been dismissed between 20 and 38, failing to capitalise on good starts.

Thilina Kandamby is an excellent player, but I think he is better suited to the middle order, where his strength against the spinners will be very useful. Kamdamby could be included by pushing Prasanna Jayawardene up to the opener's slot, but that is a tough ask, considering Prasanna has his wicketkeeping duties as well, so I would seriously consider a debut for Kaushal Silva, who although a wicketkeeper is also a top-class bat.

Whatever the selection, the key to levelling the series in Mumbai will be the way the team reacts to this defeat. A first series win is now impossible, but Sri Lanka cannot let that deflate them. The ability to bounce back in such circumstances is a hallmark of great teams, and squaring the series would be a major achievement. Sri Lanka definitely has the potential, but they need to be far more combative and mentally strong. They need to play with pride, purpose and unshakeable self-belief.

Russel Arnold played 44 Tests and 180 ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2007

Mendis arrives | The man who made every ball compelling

Sidharth Monga

The unfathomable: Mendis picks up his first Test wicket © AFP

Colombo, 25 July 2008

I have never watched cricket more intently. Australia in India 2000-01, and the 2005 Ashes were both engrossing drama, but neither made me want to not miss any part of them as much as India in Sri Lanka, 2008, did. Sehwag played the innings of the year in Galle, Murali was his devious self, Jayawardene silken, the umpiring decision reviews had to be watched, Ishant bowled a rousing spell, but it was Ajantha Mendis who demanded every ball be watched.

And it was challenging, to watch every ball of long spells closely, trying to read from behind (I was watching on TV) what it would be - regulation offbreak, carrom ball breaking away, the two-fingered googly, or the non-spinning carrom ball. It was rewarding, too, for this was a bowler unlike any I had seen.

In July 2008, Mendis was a complete mystery. He didn't grow in the public eye, he spoke only Sinhala, his captain didn't talk a lot about him in public and admitted to not knowing - at times - what fields to set for Mendis because he didn't know what he was going to bowl.

The function of Mendis' left hand could not be overstated; it was like the final salute. Abdul Qadir used to hold it up in the air before he started to run in, Mendis' left came down with the index finger stuck out, ruling the batsman out even before he had bowled. When he beat the batsman, he grinned in a sinister manner; he knew a secret the batsman didn't.

The run-up was a letdown, innocuous-looking even: no angular run, no contortion, no getting the body into unnatural positions. He didn't impart much violence onto the ball, he seemed to merely caress it out of the hand as if sending a trained pet out to show the world another trick.

The arrival was perfect too: in his first four overs in Test cricket, he troubled Rahul Dravid with the carrom ball; in his fifth he had him bowled. It was a rare sight. Dravid stayed on the back foot, unsure of how much the ball would turn, jabbed at the wrong line, desperately tried to get his pad in line, but it was all a blur, the off stump was out, Mendis had arrived. Dravid's face, as captured in a photograph too, showed he hadn't seen anything like it before.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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