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Ajantha Mendis retires from international cricket [Update Post #16]

offcutter

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Guy has a stupendous average of 21 in ODIs, and yet he didn't even make the Sri Lankan WC squad. He only seems to be in the team from time to time. What is the reasoning for this?
 
Because he's crap and his mystery balls were figured out about five years ago. :Herath and Senanayake are way better bowlers, batsmen, and fielders than Mendis.
 
Guy has a stupendous average of 21 in ODIs, and yet he didn't even make the Sri Lankan WC squad. He only seems to be in the team from time to time. What is the reasoning for this?

He's genuinely been a bad bowler since 2012. People have been able to pick his carrom ball. He doesn't turn the ball much. Selectors gave him a chance in the India and England series and he flopped. He got rightfully dropped and I think Herath and Senanayake were the right picks for the squad.

Ajantha Mendis isn't the same bowler you saw in 2008. He's become much more predictable and I think he gets less turn. Unless he finds a way to turn his offspinners and be more consistent, there won't be any space for him in international cricket.

Why not look at better hopefuls like Akhila Dhananjaya, 19 year old leg break bowler who made his debut in the T20WC 2012 and Tharindu Kaushal?
 
He's genuinely been a bad bowler since 2012. People have been able to pick his carrom ball. He doesn't turn the ball much. Selectors gave him a chance in the India and England series and he flopped. He got rightfully dropped and I think Herath and Senanayake were the right picks for the squad.

Ajantha Mendis isn't the same bowler you saw in 2008. He's become much more predictable and I think he gets less turn. Unless he finds a way to turn his offspinners and be more consistent, there won't be any space for him in international cricket.

Why not look at better hopefuls like Akhila Dhananjaya, 19 year old leg break bowler who made his debut in the T20WC 2012 and Tharindu Kaushal?

Dananjaya is an off break bowler, but I reckon he has the same issue as Menids, too many variations less subtle variations.
 
1. Not accurate enough, in some matches he misses 60% of his line,length or even both

2.Too many nonsense variations like a club cricketer who thinks he is a legend just because he bowls offbreak, leg break, googly and carromball. All his variations come out a bit differently so it gives away his "mystery".

3. International cricketers are no joke, they are actually rare talented human beings. Good batsmen will pick where which delivery will land soon as it is in the air and this is why change in flight is needed. Mendis can't change his flight in mid air like Herath, Warne, Swann, Murali and etc.

4. Quality spin is hard to witness unless you are the batsmen facing that delivery or you care too much about spin and have idea how spin bowling operate.
 
Guy has a stupendous average of 21 in ODIs, and yet he didn't even make the Sri Lankan WC squad. He only seems to be in the team from time to time. What is the reasoning for this?

Too predictable.
 
He's genuinely been a bad bowler since 2012. People have been able to pick his carrom ball. He doesn't turn the ball much. Selectors gave him a chance in the India and England series and he flopped. He got rightfully dropped and I think Herath and Senanayake were the right picks for the squad.

Ajantha Mendis isn't the same bowler you saw in 2008. He's become much more predictable and I think he gets less turn. Unless he finds a way to turn his offspinners and be more consistent, there won't be any space for him in international cricket.

Why not look at better hopefuls like Akhila Dhananjaya, 19 year old leg break bowler who made his debut in the T20WC 2012 and Tharindu Kaushal?

2014 - 17 ODIs, 38 wickets @21
2013 - 7 matches, 14 wickets @22

Thats 52 wickets in 24 ODIs!! Not sure why you would not pick such a genuine strike bowler
 
Because he's crap and his mystery balls were figured out about five years ago. :Herath and Senanayake are way better bowlers, batsmen, and fielders than Mendis.

Pretty much this.

He has been found out and only takes the field against minnows, hence his average is still so good.
 
Will Mendis play for SL again?

Hasn't played a test or T20I in 3 years and hasn't played an odi in almost 2 years.

Where did it all go wrong for him?
 
Will Mendis play for SL again?

Hasn't played a test or T20I in 3 years and hasn't played an odi in almost 2 years.

Where did it all go wrong for him?

Still remember when he first broke onto the scene, was getting 5fers for fun.
 
Will Mendis play for SL again?

Hasn't played a test or T20I in 3 years and hasn't played an odi in almost 2 years.

Where did it all go wrong for him?

Nothing really went wrong. The only problem is, for some odd reason, Sri Lankan selectors are obsessed with brining in new spin bowling all rounders every single series. I can swear I see a couple of new ones every single series. They start off brilliantly and after a couple of poor performances, they get dropped and fade into oblivion. Hasnranga is next is line.
 
Don't forget that Sri Lanka benched Mendis and Herath but played Injured Murali and Randiv in the 2011 WC FINAL. Sri lankan selection is mind boggling.
 
Don't forget that Sri Lanka benched Mendis and Herath but played Injured Murali and Randiv in the 2011 WC FINAL. Sri lankan selection is mind boggling.

It was a mistake I think.

Probably Matthews was injured for final , so Lanka wanted to balance the side . They wanted depth in batting.
 
Ajantha Mendis retires from international cricket

Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's one-time mystery spinner, has announced his retirement from international cricket, the BBC Sinhala reported. Mendis has not represented Sri Lanka for almost four years, his last appearance coming in December of 2015 during an ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch. He ends his career with 288 international wickets across 145 matches.

Mendis tasted instant success through his debut Test series in 2008, where he bamboozled the mighty Indian batting line-up, claiming 26 wickets in a three-match series. His variations which at one time included six different balls in an over puzzled the likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Between 2008 and 2014, Mendis played 19 Tests and took 70 wickets, including four five-wicket-hauls and a best of 6/99.

Mendis retires as the only bowler to have picked two six-wicket-hauls in T20Is. Against Australia in 2011, Mendis' 6/16 helped Sri Lanka clinch an 8-run win, followed by another starry performance against Zimbabwe at Hambantota, where his 6/8 routed Zimbabwe by 82 runs during the 2012 World T20I.

In ODIs, Mendis holds the record for being the quickest bowler to grab 50 wickets, achieving the landmark in 19 matches. His 6/13 in the Asia Cup final in 2008 led Sri Lanka to a thumping 100-run win over India. But unfortunately, Mendis' rampant start was overshadowed by a list of injuries, which eventually kept him on the sidelines. His last competitive tournament was the Premier League Tournament Tier B where he played for Sri Lanka's domestic club Police SC.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news/ajantha-mendis-retires-from-international-cricket-885416/
 
His decline is a lesson to those who deem T20 cricket as a great chance to make a quick buck and not bother about working on your game and what you have to offer.
 
Lol in his first few months everyone was in awe of him and felt that he would actually get 500 plus wickets in all formats before batsmen finally started to really read him properly. Lol, only took a couple of more months
 
Still remember how he was unplayable when he first arrived on to the scene and people were backing him to break all the bowling records.
 
Mendis career should be a lesson that players should adapt after initial success.
 
Will always remember him as the guy who bamboozled India in the Asia Cup final in Karachi
 
His decline is a lesson to those who deem T20 cricket as a great chance to make a quick buck and not bother about working on your game and what you have to offer.

Mendis career should be a lesson that players should adapt after initial success.

Exactly. Players need to keep on improving and evolving irrespective of how good they are at the start their careers. This is what makes legends like Wasim, Imran, Warne, Lara, Viv, Murali etc ATGs because they kept on learning, improving and pushing themselves throughout their careers and that is the only way to last so long in international cricket.
 
This guy blames the Lahore shoot out for his permanent decline. He got shot in the back or shrapnel got into his back and since the injury his off spinners have not been the same again
 
I have always wondered why he didn't succeed at international level. I feel like he massively underachived.

I think SL didn't handle him right.

1757769156897.png
 
I have always wondered why he didn't succeed at international level. I feel like he massively underachived.

I think SL didn't handle him right.

View attachment 157774
I guess it was because the batters were able to read him much better after playing him for a few times. He was generally very good against those batters who hadn't faced him before.
 
I guess it was because the batters were able to read him much better after playing him for a few times. He was generally very good against those batters who hadn't faced him before.

He only played 87 ODIs and 39 T20s. Should've played more.

He was a great white ball bowler.
 
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