Ajantha Mendis announces retirement
Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner from Sri Lanka who bamboozled the world with his ‘carrom ball’ and various other variations for a few years, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, according to BBC Sinhala. He is 34. He last played for Sri Lanka in 2015.
Mendis is best remembered for his 6/13 in the Asia Cup Final in 2008. He then made his Test debut against India, devastating India by taking 28 wickets over three matches. “I have just seen the future of spin bowling – and his name is Ajantha Mendis,” cricket writer Rob Steen had said about Mendis after his breakthrough performances that year.
Mendis would go on to reach 50 ODI wickets faster than anyone else in history. He remains the only bowler to take a six-wicket haul in T20Is twice.
After an initial period where Mendis was regarded as one of the most dangerous international bowlers – he was Sri Lanka’s leading spinner in the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cups – there was a decline in Mendis’s graph, with a general notion being that batsmen had started to read him better.
Mendis played 19 Tests, 87 One-Day Internationals and 39 T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 70 Test wickets, 152 ODI wickets and 66 T20I wickets.
This year, Mendis has been playing in Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket, captaining the Police Sports Club in Tier B of the Premier League. He has been bowling very few overs and has been playing in the team primarily as a batsman.
(Indian Express)
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He should be made by the sports minister and Sri lanka Coach Hathurusinge not to retire for it is a big loss to our country from 2014 at the Semifinals in the Asia Cup where he had mesmerized India in winning the Asia cup semifinals but dropped for the finals he has been discriminated .Please go to click info and his discrimination by then captain Adgelo Mathews and chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya with a Indian Bookie involvement will will be obvious and not given a chance to play for world cup 2015 and 2019 will be obvious
These are from Cric info the credible evidence which can be confirmed from Cric info
Ajanta Mendis: Even as the Sri Lankan mystery spinner found himself out of favour many a times through the year, he ended up as the leading wicket taker of 2014 in ODIs. In 17 matches, he took 38 wickets at an average of 21.63, with a wicket every 22.5 balls. Apart from some steller batting performances, Ajantha Mendis’ fin form with the ball found himself in the ICC ODI team for 2014
Ajantha Mendis is the only Sri Lankan cricketer to be in ICC ODI Team of the Year 2014 (in batting order):
ball played a key role in Sri Lanka’s success in 2014, the 5-0 thrashing against India notwithstanding
Only Sri Lankan Cricketer to be
Mohammad Hafeez (Pak) Quinton de Kock (SA)
Virat Kohli (Ind)
George Bailey (Aus)
AB de Villiers (SA)
MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper) (captain)
Dwayne Bravo (WI)
James Faulkner (Aus)
Dale Steyn (SA)
Mohammad Shami (Ind)
Ajantha Mendis (SL)
Rohit Sharma (Ind) (12th man)