Ajantha Mendis and how to play him

[Bumper]

Can someone post a clip or two ? Is he a leggie or an offie ?

[f.b.m]

Both. Clip: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HpVzhDXzmY]YouTube - Ajantha Mendis | The Mystery Spinner[/ame]

[Bumper]

Thanks, interesting doosra that (with a flick of the finger)! Seems to be worth the hype.

[f.b.m]

I used to bowl my doosra like that and it used to come off well..... once every 32525 times that is. It usually used to bounce twice and somehow became an offbreak on the second bounce (dont ask me why) Its a good ball to bowl to left handers though.

[umpire]

he is not a traditional spinner, uses seam a lot, leg cutters and off cutters

[msb1991]

If my fast bowling doesn't work out, I may try to become a right arm everything bowler like Mendis. He will have a massive future in the game if he manages to conceal his variations from the eyes of batsmen who will soon know what to be looking for.

[Desi Cartman]

he stole my idea .. thats what I always tried to do in the Gully/driveway cricket ...

[kooljatt]

An unforgettable sound I will never forget the sound of bat hitting ball and the sight of the ball as it sailed away. A 23-year-old right-arm spin bowler, Mendis is one of Sri Lanka's young and promising cricketers - one of those who Sri Lanka believe will become a star. To me, however, he is more than that. Regardless of his performance yesterday, to me Mendis is a budding genius and one destined to be a star. Mendis bowls everything. With a smile on his face as he caresses the ball before delivering it, Mendis bowls the off-break, he bowls the leg-break, he bowls the googly, he bowls the flipper, he bowls a straight delivery, he bowls them with different grips and different actions, he bowls them with a different trajectory and at a different pace, he disguises them brilliantly. The result is that he mesmerises, or bamboozles, batsmen - as he did Chris Gayle and Daren Sammy on Thursday. With the batsman groping forward, Mendis trapped Gayle leg before wicket just when the big right-hander appeared ready to open up. Then he bowled Sammy off-stump - the batsman, looking shocked and confused, playing beside a straight delivery after pushing forward and missing one that spun into the right-hander and one that spun away from him. A bowler like Mendis is unusual - no question about that. However, he did not just drop out of the sky as, according to coach Trevor Bayliss, "we just told him to go out and do what he has been doing all the time". According to captain Jay-awardene, Mendis has always possessed special skills and Sri Lanka have been keeping an eye on him. He has only recently started to control where he pitches the ball and they are now looking ahead with great expectations. It is only a pity that the West Indies do not possess one like him - or rather, it is only a pity that West Indies cricket does not encourage spin bowlers much more one with skills similar to those of Mendis. http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20080413/sports/sports2.html

[sachinlaxman]

mendis is quality

[flamy]

I'm terribly excited for the SL series now. :yay:

[graphic23]

I'm terribly excited for the SL series now. :yay:

I'll excited if Sachin is fit for the series. Should be an interesting battle.

[Ram]

How come people get so captivated by a guy in a matter of just a single match ? :dontknow: Surely, batsman will sort him out sooner rather than later. Besides, a test series against Ind will help put him in his deserved place :D

[Predator_05]

I am just glad that he doesn't chuck.

[f.b.m]

Nah, if he plays India and comes back with an average of less than 35, he'd be a great prospect.

[fineleg]

Ajantha Mendis From leg to off, and back again Offspinner, legspinner all rolled into one Sandeep DwivediPosted online: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Mumbai, June 16: It’s not every day that battle-hardened cricketers drop their guard and go into what appears to be a minor bout of delirium. Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan aren’t Islanders cut off from the outside world but Sri Lankan greats renowned for their cricketing acumen. But mention two words — Ajantha Mendis — and they suddenly start speaking in excited tones. While the Indians were busy celebrating their Test win over South Africa in the second week of April, and keeping an eye on the IPL countdown, far away in West Indies a never-before-seen cricketing spectacle was unfolding. Mendis’s ODI debut saw the game face a new question: How to slot a bowler who is an offie one moment and leggie the next? Batsmen and commentators were stunned since a regular Mendis over had an off-break, leg-spinner, flipper, googly, straighter delivery and one ball that the bowler flicked with his thumb and index finger like a carom striker. Suddenly Muralitharan, who missed the West Indies tour, seemed predictable, and Murali II was proving to be more intriguing with those extra twists and turns. In just over a week, Mendis will be in Pakistan for the Asia Cup playing international cricket for the first time in the sub-continent, though he did turn out in one game for the Kolkata Knight Riders against Kings XI Punjab after being signed at a late stage for the IPL. With the new ‘freak show’ coming soon to world cricket’s epicentre, it isn’t tough to guess where the spotlight is headed. Ask Jayawardene about Mendis and he gets a twinkle in his eye that is the prerogative of someone hiding an ace up his sleeve. “It’s really exciting to have a spinner like him in the squad. In Sri Lanka, the anticipation is similar to the one that was during Murali’s early days,” he says. And that’s saying a lot since the comparison happens to be with the highest wicket-taker in the world. The man at the helm of affairs when Murali was taking his first step in international cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga, has one request that could ensure Mendis’s initiation in international cricket is smooth. “We never had a problem replacing our pacers but we had a tough time getting quality spinners. Finally, we have Mendis. Though it doesn’t seem like Murali will retire soon, it will be good if he sticks around for at least two years. It will be great if Murali is around to guide Mendis,” says the former Lanka captain and the present chairman of the board. Another Sri Lankan superstar, Aravinda de Silva, who has had a long association with Murali, speaks about the advantage of having an unconventional bowler in the ranks. “Murali is a freak that one should understand. Right now I don’t want to compare Mendis with Murali. But having a bowler like him will be big for any captain as batsmen take time to adjust to such bowlers,” says Aravinda (in picture below), who, as a talent-spotter for the board, has picked several unorthodox spinners over the years. The biggest compliment that Mendis can get comes from wicket-keeper Sangakkara who, after years of reading Murali, now has a new challenge. “The Asia Cup isn’t just a test for Mendis who will be bowling against sub-continent batsmen who are used to facing spinners, but for me too,” he says. Sangakkara says reading Murali is easy since it is only a matter of judging if the ball is an off-spinner, doosra or top-spinner. “All I need to do when keeping against Murali is to get an idea of how much the ball is turning. But it is different against Mendis, who bowls six different balls in an over,” he says. Sangakkara says that the first time he faced Mendis as a batsman, it was tough to guess the variety he is dishing out. “I played him in a game. He didn’t get me out and that’s because I was mostly at the non-striker’s end,” he says in half jest. Sangakkara goes on to explain the strength of the rookie. “He is a private in the army and that means he is a very tough character. He is very consistent and has a great temperament.” But the final word on the new sensation comes from the original master Murali. “I really look forward to bowling with him. I’m sure he will do well. But the real test for such unusual bowlers comes in the second year. By then the batsmen are used to playing them, besides he would have been video analysed extensively. One needs to redefine oneself constantly to be effective,” he says. For that to happen, Mendis needs to be read from the old hand that will pass the baton to him in the near future and also keep his magic fingers crossed. With Mendis-Murali around, the Asia Cup may not be all about India playing Pakistan. http://www.indianexpress.com/story/323651.html

[alzu]

Is he anyway related to Duleep Mendis? Any SL supporter here?

yea im one........hez frm the army n plays for SL army......mendis is a very common name in SL n hez nt related to dulip mendis......

[flamy]

Ayya Caramba! Bring on the Asia Cup! :two_thumbs_up:

[Cricketics]

Very Lucky Ajanta CLOCK MANDELA what a lucky baby is this guy. got wickets after wickets just because veeru decided to gift his wicket. now he would be hyped and lanka would be losing game after game just like how they lost the series inw indies 2-0 poor lanka p.s - bloody good spell. hatz off

[Desi Cartman]

kya ? pls explain mein kuch samjha nahi

[nospam]

crap thread... mendis bowled well and sl deserve to win