Ashley Mallett has worked with spinners in the Emerald Isles as Sri Lanka Cricket's spin consultant.
Adelaide: Even before his sensational 6 for 13 in the Asia Cup final which turned India's batting upside down, finger-flick merchant Ajantha Mendis was seen as a potential match-winner.
A couple of years ago, BAW Mendis turned up to my Sri Lanka Spin Bowling Academy in Colombo. He wore a dark blue Sri Lanka Army T-Shirt and long Khaki army pants.
After having seen some 750 spinners throughout the land, we settled on four squads, each group comprising no more than 12 spinners.
The squads ranged from under-13s to the Test squad. We called them: Cubs, Juniors, Colts and Seniors. Mendis fitted into the Colts squad. After a warm-up, Mendis measured out his run. I had a look at his first ball. He bowled off a 12-yard approach and that initial delivery was flat, medium-slow off-cutter. Pretty innocuous! And the batsman punched it through mid-wicket.
Impressive
Next was a ball of full length. When it pitched, the ball spun from the leg and missed the outside edge by a whisker. We shook hands and began by asking about his grip. He looked at me quizzically and nodded his head. He showed me how he gripped the leg-break. It was a grip identical to Johnny Gleeson, the "mystery" bowler who bowled finger-flick leggies and wrong 'uns.
Fit
He was tough and fighting fit. As an artillery gunner in the Sri Lankan Army, he had to be tough and in top shape.
The way he bowled was like looking at a taller, stronger Gleeson, operating off a long run and bowling at a shade under medium pace. His bowling arm was quite high and I noticed because of that, his wrong 'un turned a lot more than his leggie. He could also bowl a leg-break, a top-spinner, and an off-break. Communication was always going to be a problem. One bloke said you can read the body-language. Well, Mendis was smiling and shaking his head simultaneously.
There was little coaching needed other than the need for him to mix his finger-flick deliveries more, and less of the orthodox off-break and off-cutter. It was the finger-flick deliveries which arced, dropped, spun and confused the batsman.
That splendid coach Tom Moody was then in charge of the Sri Lankan team and when I brought Mendis to the Test squad training, the young finger-flick man bowled well enough to raise more than the odd eyebrow. Moody liked Mendis and earmarked him for national honours. So too Murali, who was fascinated by those finger-flicked deliveries.
That year
In nine matches (2007-08) for the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club, Mendis bowled 80.2 overs, taking 22 wickets for 215 runs at an average of 9.77, with a best haul of 4-4. In my report of December, 2007, I urged the Sri Lanka Board to talk to the Sri Lanka Army, having them release Mendis so he could play in the highest standard of competition in the land. Mendis is not your average slow spin bowler. He is different and probably, like Murali and Bill O'Reilly of years gone, is in a category of his own.
Mendis can now lay down his arms in the military sense and continue to fire on the international sporting stage.
Wearing a perpetual smile, Mendis is a lovely young man. Most of his opponents probably are already calling him the smiling assassin. India might well have to face his magic in the Test series beginning this month. The BAW Mendis success story has only just begun.
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/jul/110708Ajantha-Mendis.htm
Adelaide: Even before his sensational 6 for 13 in the Asia Cup final which turned India's batting upside down, finger-flick merchant Ajantha Mendis was seen as a potential match-winner.
A couple of years ago, BAW Mendis turned up to my Sri Lanka Spin Bowling Academy in Colombo. He wore a dark blue Sri Lanka Army T-Shirt and long Khaki army pants.
After having seen some 750 spinners throughout the land, we settled on four squads, each group comprising no more than 12 spinners.
The squads ranged from under-13s to the Test squad. We called them: Cubs, Juniors, Colts and Seniors. Mendis fitted into the Colts squad. After a warm-up, Mendis measured out his run. I had a look at his first ball. He bowled off a 12-yard approach and that initial delivery was flat, medium-slow off-cutter. Pretty innocuous! And the batsman punched it through mid-wicket.
Impressive
Next was a ball of full length. When it pitched, the ball spun from the leg and missed the outside edge by a whisker. We shook hands and began by asking about his grip. He looked at me quizzically and nodded his head. He showed me how he gripped the leg-break. It was a grip identical to Johnny Gleeson, the "mystery" bowler who bowled finger-flick leggies and wrong 'uns.
Fit
He was tough and fighting fit. As an artillery gunner in the Sri Lankan Army, he had to be tough and in top shape.
The way he bowled was like looking at a taller, stronger Gleeson, operating off a long run and bowling at a shade under medium pace. His bowling arm was quite high and I noticed because of that, his wrong 'un turned a lot more than his leggie. He could also bowl a leg-break, a top-spinner, and an off-break. Communication was always going to be a problem. One bloke said you can read the body-language. Well, Mendis was smiling and shaking his head simultaneously.
There was little coaching needed other than the need for him to mix his finger-flick deliveries more, and less of the orthodox off-break and off-cutter. It was the finger-flick deliveries which arced, dropped, spun and confused the batsman.
That splendid coach Tom Moody was then in charge of the Sri Lankan team and when I brought Mendis to the Test squad training, the young finger-flick man bowled well enough to raise more than the odd eyebrow. Moody liked Mendis and earmarked him for national honours. So too Murali, who was fascinated by those finger-flicked deliveries.
That year
In nine matches (2007-08) for the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club, Mendis bowled 80.2 overs, taking 22 wickets for 215 runs at an average of 9.77, with a best haul of 4-4. In my report of December, 2007, I urged the Sri Lanka Board to talk to the Sri Lanka Army, having them release Mendis so he could play in the highest standard of competition in the land. Mendis is not your average slow spin bowler. He is different and probably, like Murali and Bill O'Reilly of years gone, is in a category of his own.
Mendis can now lay down his arms in the military sense and continue to fire on the international sporting stage.
Wearing a perpetual smile, Mendis is a lovely young man. Most of his opponents probably are already calling him the smiling assassin. India might well have to face his magic in the Test series beginning this month. The BAW Mendis success story has only just begun.
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/jul/110708Ajantha-Mendis.htm
