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.
Sri Lanka's young team are good enough to be competitive in the One-day tri-series in Bangladesh this month, coach Trevor Bayliss said on Sunday.
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.
Ajantha Mendis wrecked havoc when India toured Sri Lanka in 2008 but senior batsman Rahul Dravid is hopeful that this time around he and his colleagues are better equipped to tackle the 'mystery' spinner in the forthcoming Test series, beginning in Galle next month.
Wayamba qualified for the Champions League following their Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament victory over Basnahira South in what could be a big boost for Sri Lankan domestic cricket. Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will be Wayamba's main hope with the bat.
Sri Lanka seized control of the second Test in Colombo on Sunday by bowling Pakistan out for 90, the tourists' lowest total against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, with skipper Kumar Sangakkara unbeaten on 81, replied strongly to finish on 164 for three, a lead of 74.
Darren Bravo hit an impressive 63 not out for his third half-century to boost the West Indies in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Wednesday.
Virender Sehwag scored an unbeaten 201 and Harbhajan Singh claimed four wickets as India restricted Sri Lanka to 215-5 at close on Day 2 of the second Test.
Sri Lanka has picked four specialist spinners to play Australia in the upcoming ODI tri-series as well as Twenty20 Internationals.
Several senior players, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedera and Ajantha Mendis, were left out for next month's tri-series with Bangladesh and India. Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, all-rounder Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando were not available due to injury.
Kuldeep Yadav becomes fastest Indian spinner to reach 150 ODI wickets
Zimbabwe suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka after being bowled out for just 67 in the second one-day international in Harare on Saturday. Spinner Ajantha Mendis took four for 15 and was ably assisted by pacemen Farveez Maharoof (three for 26) and Thilina Thushara (two for 17).
A wounded India would bank on its young blood to make amends for their humiliating loss in the Test cricket series against Sri Lanka as it takes on the hosts in the first of their five one-dayers in Dambulla on Monday.
Jehan Mubarak scored an unbeaten 60 to guide Sri Lanka to a narrow two-wicket win over Zimbabwe on Friday, giving the visitors a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Zimbabwe, put in to bat, were skittled for 146 in 46.3 overs as spinner Ajantha Mendis took six for 29.
Ajantha Mendis and fellow practitioners of unorthodox spin bowling have proved they are not in the World Twenty20 just to play cannon-fodder.
South Africa and Sri Lanka are set to play two frontline spinners apiece on what promises to be a turning wicket at Centurion Park for their Champions Trophy opener on Tuesday. The hosts, the International Cricket Council's top-ranked one-day team, have off-spinner Johan Botha and left-armer Roelof van der Merwe while Sri Lanka will counter with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and the unorthodox Ajantha Mendis.
Sri Lanka bowlers Rangana Herath and Shaminda Eranga will miss the rest of the Bangladesh tour through injury, the cricket board said on its website (www.srilankacricket.lk) on Monday.
Ravindra Jadeja etched a new record to his name as he became the most successful Indian bowler in the Asia Cup in the ODI format.
Deepak Chahar is the first Indian bowler ever to hold the record of best bowling figures in any format of international cricket (Test/ODI/T20I), points out Rajneesh Gupta.
Tillakeratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis led Sri Lanka to a 55-run win over hosts South Africa as the opening match of the Champions Trophy was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis scoring method on Tuesday.
12 bowlers have previously claimed six-wicket hauls in a Men's T20I -- India's Deepak Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal, Australia spinner Ashton Agar and Sri Lanka tweaker Ajantha Mendis.
Ajantha Mendis broke India's back with a mesmerising six-wicket haul as Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup cricket tournament with a facile 100-run victory in Karachi on Sunday night.
Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has been named in Sri Lanka's one-day international squad for their five-match series against Pakistan, starting next week, after recovering from a knee injury. Muralitharan, 37, the highest wicket-taker in ODI history, missed the three-match Test series with a tendon injury and will team up with Ajantha Mendis and recalled leg spinner Malinga Bandara in a 15-man squad that includes three spinners.
Sri Lanka's bowlers bundled out England for 185 before the hosts chased down the target with eight wickets to spare in the rain-hit second One-day international on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.
Rangana Herath claimed three wickets for 25 runs as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 16 runs in the first semi-final of the World Twenty20 in Colombo on Thursday.
The veteran left-hander was unbeaten on 160 as Sri Lanka reached the close of play on 314 for five after captain Angelo Mathews had won the toss and opted to bat.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bat in the fifth one-day international against India in Colombo on Sunday. Spinner Pragyan Ojha and pacer Praveen Kumar made way for debutant Ravindra Jadeja and Laxmipathy Balaji.
At stumps on day four, India were struggling at 53 for three in 18 overs after being set a stiff 257 for victory, on a pitch offering assistance to the spinners.
The 21 year old, who made his IPL debut on Saturday, April 9, has the ability to spin the ball both ways and is already being compared to Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner from his native island.
Bowler Chaminda Vaas could play his final Test after being recalled to the Sri Lankan side to face Pakistan starting on Monday. Vaas, 35, is expected to announce his retirement from Test cricket before the start of the third Test, which would be his 111th game in a 15-year career that has bagged 354 wickets.
Kumar Sangakkara became only the second cricketer to hit a triple century and a hundred in the same Test as Sri Lanka set Bangladesh a huge target of 467 to win the second and final match in Chittagong on Friday. Sangakkara, who struck his maiden triple century in the first innings, hit a six off Sohag Gazi to reach three figures in the second and emulate former England opener Graham Gooch's 1990 feat against India at Lord's.
Legends of T20 World Cup: Leading Wicket-takers, six-hitters and keepers with most dismissals
Kumar Sangakkara laid the foundation before Angelo Mathews completed a nervy chase as Sri Lanka beat England by six wickets in the fourth One-Day International.
Jonty Rhodes had posted an image of himself taking a dip at the Holy Ganga river. Harbhajan Singh Rhodes saying that 'you have seen more India than me'.
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
India 'A' coach Rahul Dravid advised Virat Kohli to make Virender Sehwag's unbeaten 201 at Galle (in 2008) as a reference frame for facing the Sri Lankan tweakers.
Unchallenged by Sri Lanka so far, India would look to keep the foot on the pedal in their pursuit for a series whitewash when the two teams face off in the fourth and penultimate cricket One-dayer at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Hashim Amla's 13th One-day International century and a clinical performance in the field carried South Africa to a comfortable 75 run victory in the opener of their three-match series against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
An explosive unbeaten 85 from David Miller and some hostile bowling by the fast bowlers helped South Africa to beat Sri Lanka by 56 runs in Pallekele on Friday and stay alive in the five-match series.
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