'Once I got my first wicket, that built up my confidence. Fortunately, I was able to take six wickets.'
Sri Lanka's decision to bat first backfired when they were all out for 236 on Day 1 of the first Test.
Kusal Mendis remained unbeaten on 166 and combined in a fourth-wicket partnership of 196 with Asela Gunaratne to put Sri Lanka on course for a big first innings total against Bangladesh on the first day of the opening Test at Galle on Tuesday.
The all-star team announced by the ICC features four players from Sri Lanka, three each from Pakistan and Afghanistan and one from the West Indies.
Sri Lanka's selectors snubbed ace spinner Ajantha Mendis while naming a 15-member squad for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.
Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis struck a majestic maiden century on day three of the first Test against Australia to leave the bowler-dominated contest evenly poised at Pallekele on Thursday.
Sri Lanka took complete control of the second Test against New Zealand on Friday as batting sensation Kamindu Mendis scored the fifth century of his young career and helped the hosts post a mammoth 602-5 declared on day two in Galle.
Sri Lanka used the seamer friendly conditions at Kingsmead to reduce South Africa to 80/4 before rain stopped play on the opening day of the first Test
A summary of Saturday's action in Ligue 1, LaLiga and Bundesliga.
Cricket Australia named Bumrah as the captain of its Test team of the year, which also features Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The Sri Lankan selectors, on Sunday, dropped batsman Kusal Mendis from their 15-member squad while Angelo Mathews returned to lead the side in the upcoming tour of India.
Kusal Mendis overcame injury to score a workmanlike half-century that helped Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by three wickets in their rain-shortened ODI.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized Babar Azam for focusing on personal milestones over team success, expressing concerns about Pakistan's preparations ahead of their crucial Champions Trophy clash against India. He believes Pakistan's recent struggles, including a disappointing Tri-Nation Series campaign and a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in a home Test series, point to a lack of readiness for the India encounter.
Unlocking the Ajantha Mendis code on Sri Lankan pitches will not be difficult for Indian batsmen if they concentrate on his wrist movement, feels Test great Gundappa Viswanath. Viswanath said taking on Mendis in the upcoming Test series won't be difficult once the Indian batsmen carefully observe his wrist movement.
Spin sensation Ajantha Mendis bagged three wickets as Sri Lanka scored a five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first game of the Canada T20 tournament in Toronto on Friday. The ICC's Emerging Player of the Year, finished with 3-15 and was named man of the match.
Sri Lankan spin sensation Ajantha Mendis will turn up for Rajasthan in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season.
Foolish to focus only on Mendis: Dravid The Sri Lankan attack is not all about Ajantha Mendis. It will be foolish to focus only on the mystery spinner and ignore others, like Muralitharan and Vaas, warned former India captain Rahul Dravid.
Earlier on Sunday, bad light stopped play with the Lankans needing 125 more runs to secure a well-deserved turnaround victory in the third Test against England and avoid a 3-0 series whitewash.
Sri Lanka could turn to uncapped teenager Akila Dananjaya if spinner Ajantha Mendis fails to recover from injury in time for the World Twenty20 Super Eight game against New Zealand at Pallekele on Thursday.
Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis bowled Sri Lanka to an innings and 239-run victory in the first Test against India on Saturday.
Kusal Mendis led a strong Sri Lankan second innings effort but the West Indies still held the advantage at stumps on day four of the first Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Saturday. Set a daunting target of 453 when the hosts declared their second innings at 223 for seven just after lunch, the visitors reached 176 for three by the close with Mendis unbeaten on 94.
'Pathum Nissanka is easily one of the best batters to have come out of Sri Lanka in the recent past and he has delivered once again,' he tweeted with an applause emoji.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis produced the best figures in Twenty20 internationals on Monday to bowl Sri Lanka to an eight-run win over Australia at the Pallakele Stadium and a 2-0 series win. Mendis bemused the Australian batsman to finish with six for 16 off four overs, including a maiden.
Hosts India might have outplayed them in the first three ODIs but Sri Lankan team management is keen to include experienced spinner Ajantha Mendis in the playing XI for the fourth ODI scheduled on Thursday.
IMAGES from the third Test played between England and Sri Lanka at the Oval on Sunday
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took two overs to polish off the New Zealand tail and complete a five-wicket haul as Sri Lanka sealed a 63-run victory in the opening Test at Galle International Stadium on Monday.
Prior to the series, Sri Lanka had not won a game in any format since October but become the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa as they comfortably chased down a victory target of 197 on the third day.
South Africa were five wickets from victory as Sri Lanka finished the third day of the first Test on 103-5 in their second innings after being set a 516-run target on Friday.
Joe Root scored his 35th Test century as he went past the legendary trio of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Younis Khan, who had made 34 centuries in their career.
Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis registered the best figures in World Twenty20 with a magical-haul of six wickets for eight runs to help Sri Lanka crush Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the tournament opener.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
Ajantha Mendis might have created flutter in cricketing circles with his stupendous performance in the Asia Cup, but the Sri Lankan mystery bowler has failed to impress spin guru Terry Jenner, who has pointed out at chinks in his armour. Jenner feels Mendis lacks variety and still has a long way to go to prove his mettle in the international circuit.
Young Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis said he was looking forward to bowl to the famous Indian batting 'quartet' in the Test series.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis became the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in one-day internationals as Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by 130 runs in their first match of the tri-series tournament in Dhaka on Monday.
Wanindu Hasaranga will make his comeback after missing the Asia Cup and the 50-overs World Cup.
Admitting that Indian batsmen have started to unravel his secrets, Lankan spin sensation Ajantha Mendis said the 'Men in Blue' had played him relatively well in the ODI series.
The unorthodox spinner has been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in the army after his match-winning exploits at the Asia Cup.
Virender Sehwag's technique or the lack of it often invites criticism but Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis says the swashbuckling right-hander is the only Indian batsman he found difficult to bowl to in the recently-concluded Test and ODI series.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis took four wickets and Kumar Sangakkara scored a meticulous century as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 64 runs in their Asian Cup super league match.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis claimed 5-56 as Sri Lanka dismissed India for 249 on the first day of the third Test.
