Jeevan Mendis must grab opportunity

A dose of refreshing excitement has been injected into the cricket squad by the Sri Lankan Cricket selectors. They have have done right in including right arm leg spinning all rounder Jeevan Mendis for the tour of Australia that will include all limited over games.

Not many captains nor selectors would dare experiment with a leg spinner. Chairman Aravinda de Silva and his enterprising team of selectors have acted with great enterprise in tossing in Mendis.

Mendis, in addition to his excellent leg spin/googly bowling, is a punishing batsman when on the go. He will surely make it his business to electrify the team with his talent, perform consistently with both bat and ball when given the opportunity and cement his place for the upcoming 2011 World Cup in the sub continent.

Lacking all rounders

The Sri Lanka team at the moment is in dire need for all rounder's, given that we have only two all rounders in Farveez Maharoof and Angelo Mathews who are medium pace bowling all rounders.

Mendis will bring is a different spark with his rare offering. A leg spinning all rounder is a luxury in any team. If he strikes a line and length, with his vicious spin can make batsmen look ordinary by baffling and bemusing them with his cunning spin.

A well disguised googly can embarrass batsmen by making them go the wrong way. Mendis has this superb delivery in his repertoire. If he can hit a line and length, then batsmen could easily be scalped.

No doubt that Captain Kumar Sangakkara will repose confidence and faith in the leg spinner and nurse and nurture him so that he will feel free to unleash his baffling deliveries. Not many captains feel at ease with leg spinners. We expect Sangakkara to have the courage to be different.

Line and length

Leg spinners especially have the difficult task in that they have to buy their wickets. Mendis might give a few runs early till he settles into a line and length. Sangakkara can be counted on to have the vision to grant some runs early as a strategy to allow the leg spinner to strike at the opportune moment. Its this leverage and tactical patience that can well pave the way for a match winner.

Leg spin, googly bowling is the most difficult art to muster of all bowling variations. Leg spinners have to sweat and toil hours on end to become brilliant ones. Not very many take to this style of bowling. There's a dearth of leg spinners not only in the local scene, but also in the world circuit.

The greatest leg spin bowler with many varying deliveries Shane Warne emerged on wickets made in Australia. So Mendis can take heart and if he runs into Warne will do well to ask the master to show him the many tricks. Warne will be only too glad to oblige.

Leg spinners

On the topic of leg spinners and the name of the present chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket D Somachandra de Silva comes to mind. De Silva was a top flight leg spin/googly bowler and a punishing right hand bat, whom the captains of that era were fortunate to have.

One cannot help but be nostalgic, given my own school cricket career at St Benedict's College, when writing about leg/spin googly bowling and express how challenging - and then rewarding - it is for a leg spinner, especially when runs are conceded. My wicket keeper who was the current selector Ranjit Fernando will testify to this.

When I took a hat trick against St Peter's College, Fernando stumped David Heyn beaten by a googly, Tyronne LeMercier was the next victim bowled by a googly that pitched off and hit leg stump and the third wicket was that of Aditha de Silva LBW to a top spinner. Forgive me for the digression, but there is nothing to substitute for first hand experience!

Sachitra promising

The selectors will do well to keep an eye on another promising leg spinner who is making waves in the local school cricket scene. He is Sachitra Perera from Ananda College. He has the talent to make it into the big league. His coach Lucky Rogers Fernando is amazed with his ability.

Another player whom the selectors would be keen to see making big runs on the tour of Australia and pushing for a permanent slot in the World Cup squad is that hard hitting right hander Chamara Kapugedera.

Kapugedera is a highly talented batsman. What is inexplicable is that he has not made it his business to grab with both hands the many opportunities afforded him by the selectors and settled down to making runs consistently.

If Kapugedera fails to oblige this time round, then the selectors would have to make decisions that may not be in his favour for but prefer some other batsmen who are staking claims for representative honours.

Kanaganayagam remembered

The Centralites Sports Club of Jaffna must be complimented for arranging and conducting an inter-house cricket carnival in Jaffna in honour of one of their illustrious sons and legend Jeya Kanaganayagam.

Kanaganayagam was an excellent leg spin bowler and dashing left hand batsman. Jeya captained Jaffna Central in 1962, Jaffna Schools and played for the Sri Lanka Schools team. He later sported Tamil Union and BRC colours.

Kanaganayagam will always remain etched in my memory - and once again with apologies for getting nostalgic: when I was on the way to making the first century in limited over cricket in Sri Lanka in 1972 in the Browns Trophy Tourney, playing for the Saracens against by old Club Tamil Union, I was on 99 when Kanaganayagam tossed a tantalizing leg spinner.

I stepped out to drive missed and thanks to former Peterite wicket keeper and boxer Christie Marathalingam who missed stumping me, I lived to get a single in the next ball and make that record of scoring the century a reality.

Kumar Muthukumar a nephew of late Dr.J.C Duraisingham who is domiciled in France is now on holiday in Jaffna helping in the organization of the tournament.

Great then on the Jaffna Centralites for honouring their proud son.

Kanaganayagam passed away in Canada in his early forties.

[email protected]