Mendis strikes fear with 'carrom ball'

Dubai: Debates have now sprung up on the mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis, who ran through the famed Indian batting line-up in the final of the Asia Cup with a six-wicket spell. He is already being talked about as the most fearsome spinner of the new generation.

The variety that he packs in an over has made it difficult to read him. Neither a leg nor an off-spinner, every Ajantha delivery comes at a different trajectory and pace that batsmen find it impossible to read him.

Arjuna Ranatunga and Duleep Mendis, two former Sri Lankan captains, were delighted with the rise of this unorthodox spinner.

Ranatunga, the President of Sri Lanka Cricket, after attending the International Cricket Council annual conference in Dubai, said Mendis has emerged as their answer to their hunt for good quality spinners.

According to him, with Muralitharan still being fit would be able to guide Mendis properly in the coming years.

Duleep Mendis threw light on this unknown spinner since he hails from his home town Moratuwa. Though Moratuwa has two outstanding school cricket teams, Mendis comes from the ordinary Moratu Vidyalaya. He got the opportunity to play cricket only after he joined the Sri Lankan army.

Another variety

Mendis started off as an off-break bowler and slowly added variety. He mesmerised batsmen in club cricket with his finger spin. Soon he developed a flipper, which he releases with the snap of his fingers and caught many batsmen off guard. He became so popular with one of his deliveries that the Sri Lankans named it as the "carrom ball delivery."

Mendis holds the ball between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and instead of a regular release, the ball is flicked out similar to a carrom player flicking the striker on a carrom board. On pitching, the ball could be a leg break, off break or even a zooter or googly.

Although players who play tennis ball cricket do bowl this delivery, none have succeeded with the cricket ball.

Sri Lankans believe that like the doosra, this carrom ball delivery is likely to get popular and Mendis will be hailed as its author. As of now, batsmen around the world are busy studying his video footages to decide on how to play him.

Experience

UAE batsmen's audiencewith Sri Lankan wizardry

Ajantha Mendis had mesmerised the UAE batsmen with a deadly spell of 5 for 22 to guide Sri Lanka to a 142-run victory in the recent Asia Cup. It was his career best spell until he bettered it against India in the final, bagging 6 for 13 runs. UAE skipper Saqib Ali, who was trapped leg before by Mendis, talked about his experience. "Mendis is an unreadable magic bowler. It was amazing to see the variety of deliveries he produced. I could not read him from his wrist as he uses his fingers to spin the ball. I fell leg before to a ball which I thought was a leg-spin, but it came in and struck my pads. You can imagine how good he is because even India's world class batsmen could not play him."

Amjad Ali, who top-scored for UAE with a whirlwind 77, had hit Mendis for 17 runs in two overs. "He was pretty confusing. Since he was bowling a lot of googlies I used my feet and did not allow him to pitch," said Ali. Once Mendis found his line and length, none of the UAE batsmen could play him.

UAE middle order batsmen Nizel Fernandez, who was stumped by wicketkeeper Kumara Sangakkara off Mendis, said: "It was a real experience playing him and I am proud of having played him. He is going to be a great bowler. I fell to his fourth ball and every ball was different. The first was an off spin, the second a leg spin, the third a googly and fourth a leg spin which I tried to play to the leg side and lost my balance."

UAE pacer Fahd Al Hashemi, who fell leg before to Mendis, said: "I was surprised to see the turn he generated from the wicket. None of our spinners and even Indian and Pakistan spinners could turn on that wicket, but Mendis managed it. He held the ball with his three fingers and produced all kinds of deliveries. He is a natural spinner."

- K.R.