Ajantha Mendis

[Arunava]

he is an amazing find for sri lanka. on subcontinent, he is the best bowler right nwo rather i should say on slow flat pitches that is amazing as usually flat pitches are hell for bowlers where this guy loves flat pitch.

still would like to see him play against Australia in Australia before getting onto bandwagon

the best thing about this guys is, he doesn't turn much, just enough to beat the bat. so he will always put the bowl on wicket and bowl will move either way. therefore murli or any other has to put bowl on off stump or outside that to hit wicket and it is comparitively easier to pick. then comes is action which is more complex overall making him very difficult to pick.

if anyone tries to pick him up from hand. .he wud almost always fail. .like indians did in the final. since he is slow. .and turns less.. one should pick him from the pitch. .like Dhoni did in the final

hope i've been able to make u understand the bowler

 

[Chetan0304]

hats off to this new comer

he made a very good entry in the SL team

hope he continues to contribute such in coming series

 

[Cricketdude]

You missed the bandwagon mitch it passed a week ago oh well the Mitchell Johnson and Ronchi's bandwagon is still filling up though....

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I tried to bowl with the Iverson grip. You need massive hands for it. So it isn't very easy for anyone to bowl. I wouldn't call him a genius however. We need to see if he can maintain these performances once batsmen figure out his grip. But he's a freak...

 

[manee]

I tried to bowl with the Iverson grip. You need massive hands for it. So it isn't very easy for anyone to bowl. I wouldn't call him a genius however. We need to see if he can maintain these performances once batsmen figure out his grip. But he's a freak...

I have heard about it, naturally, but never actually seen it - are the Mendis and Iverson grips as similar as I think or are they actually quite different?

 

[ZoraxDoom]

According to some commentators and a Cricinfo article I forget, they are the same grip.

Technically, they aren't difficult to bowl. I've done it. Use a tape ball, you'll find you can do it after a short while.
Problem is, a Hard ball is bigger and heavier, and so you need not only larger hands, but stronger arms (I guess) to do it.

I haven't seen Mendis bowl a lot, but I won't classify him as a genius yet. We need to see how he controls his bowling and if he can beat batsmen through his variations after the initial shock of what he is bowling has faded...

 

[SaiSrini]

Genuis? Not yet... Once batsmen start playing him more off the pitch, we will see how he copes.

 

[aussie_ben91]

He hasn't even played a test match yet.

 

[manee]

Genuis? Not yet... Once batsmen start playing him more off the pitch, we will see how he copes.

Darren Sammy did attempt that in Mendis' debut and we all know how that turned out. However, Ben is right, best to reserve judgement after he has taken on India in a Test match series.

 

[khalek]

Mendis is really good... if you look at his FC average, he is better than murali... but if we want to know if he is really great in the international level, we have to watch him for 1 or 2 more years...

 

[surendar]

Just can't believe this hype. He is just a kid in cricketing experience. Give him some time before you start comparing with Murali or anyone. You know what Jayawardena replied to media when he was asked the similar question, " Murali is different and Mendis is different.. It's too early to tell! ".

May be after Mendis going for few Aussie tours, English tours and SA tours, i would rate him. Not now definitely. To me, he is just a bowler who has had a good last series. Have to see his consistency in long runs of his cricketing career.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Yeah, I mean just look at Murali's record against Australia in Australia. :boxing

 

[Neo95]

Yeah, I mean just look at Murali's record against Australia in Australia. :boxing

Yea it's dung.

 

[icyman]

Mendis is crazy. I certainly hope the Indian batsmen figure him out quickly or we'll be looking at a 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka.

They will.With ppl like Tendulakr,Dravid,Ganguly and Laxman,its going to be interesting out there.

So, what type of spinner is he? He seems to be able to bowl everything.

A finger spinner.He holds the ball in between the thumb and the index finger.His middle finger supports the ball from the back.Thats the reason why his offspin acts like a legbreak.

I have heard about it, naturally, but never actually seen it - are the Mendis and Iverson grips as similar as I think or are they actually quite different?

The Iverson grip is only slightly different than Mendis.Iverson,used to bowl flat.People have compared the grips and found that they vary only slightly.

Infact,Mendis's grip is similar to that of Sonny Ramadhin,the West Indian spinner.

 

[Leggie]

I have to agree. He has to bowl to the likes of Tendulkar, Ponting, Hussey, Pietersen, Yousuf, Dravid and Chanderpaul before anyone can call him great...But of course he has a made a brilliant start to his career in the OD format...