Ajantha Mendis: Top 5 spells in international cricket
The Sri Lankan mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis, has announced retirement from all forms of international cricket at the age of 34. In his eight-year-long career, the finger-spinner represented Sri Lanka in 19 Tests, 87 ODIs and 39 T20Is, taking a total of 288 wickets. Employing sharp turn in both the directions with his fingers, he bamboozled the best for a while. Soon the batsmen found him out and he dwindled away from the scene. Mendis played his final match for Sri Lanka in December 2015.
Despite the short career, the finger-spinner has left a deep impact on the game. Not only in the stories of his wonderful success followed by the steep decline but also in numbers. As on date, he is the only international cricketer to take a six-wicket haul in all three formats of the game. Mendis also holds the record for best bowling figures in T20I cricket. Here are five of his top spells from international cricket.
8/132 against India, Colombo, 2008 (Test)
This was the debut Test match of Mendis, and what a debut it was! Sri Lanka batted first in this game. With four batsmen scoring centuries, the home side posted 600/6 in their first dig. India came out to bat on the third day. Debutant Mendis, who had wrecked India in the Asia cup, straightaway pocketed a big fish. His first Test wicket was Rahul Dravid, who was completely at sea against the sharply away-spinning delivery. He took 4/72 in the innings while Muralitharan picked a five-fer.
Following on, India once again crumbled against the Sri Lankan duo. Murali snapped six while Mendis took the remaining four wickets. He dismissed Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman twice in the same Test. Although Murali grabbed more wickets, it was the debutant who made all the noise. He eventually finished as the highest wicket-taker of the series with 26 scalps in three Tests.
6/29 against Zimbabwe, Harare, 2009 (ODI)
Before this fourth match of the bilateral series, Mendis had taken nine wickets in the first three matches. He came on to bowl in the 14th over and picked up a wicket on his fifth ball. Mendis kept chipping away Zimbabwean middle-order batsmen and finished with the astonishing figures of 6/29. Later, he had to come out to bat and help his side cross the winning line.
6/16 against Australia, Pallekele, 2011 (T20I)
Sri Lanka were defending 158 runs in the second of the two-match T20I series. Australia were off to a flying start with Shane Watson blazing all guns. Mendis came in to bowl the sixth over with Aussies at 64/0 in five overs. The spinner got hit for a six by Watson but he foxed the opener with his carrom-ball. In his very next over, he accounted for David Warner and Shaun Marsh. Maintaining the flow of wickets, the spinner took another three to finish with his first-ever six-wicket haul in T20Is.
6/8 against Zimbabwe, Hambantota, 2012 (T20I)
Mendis started the 2012 T20I World Cup with a bang as he registered the best bowling figures in T20I cricket. Sri Lanka posted 182/4 in 20 overs as Kumar Sangakkara and Jeevan Mendis registered 40-plus scores. Ajantha came on to bowl the sixth over and struck twice in the opening over itself. He followed this with a wicket-maiden. Mendis conceded his first boundary in the third over but took a wicket on the next ball. His final over was a double-wicket maiden. Mendis finished with the unbelievable figures of 4-2-8-6!
6/13 against India, Karachi, 2008 (ODI)
This was the first skirmish between Mendis and India, a team renowned for its prowess against spin. Sri Lanka had shielded the mystery spinner in the group stage against India, waiting to unleash him in the final. With Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 125, Lankans posted 273 in the first innings. Virender Sehwag was off to a destructive start of 60 from 36 balls, then came the sensational debut.
Bowling the 10th over, Mendis confronted Sehwag. The marauder jumped out charging on the second ball and got out stumped. Mendis dismissed Yuvraj Singh in the same over to spark an astounding collapse. He took out Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma later to leave India in a disarray. At one stage, his figures were 6-1-9-6! The Indian tail denied him further wickets but the mystery man had done the damage.
