HAILED AS SRI LANKA’S LOWER ORDER X’FACTOR

By Srian Obeyesekere

Sri Lanka went down to England in the first test match at Old Trafford, Manchester, but the island nation did project a shine of individual brilliance in young Kamindu Mendis who weaved his willow to taking a century off an awesome England attack that thrived on sheer pace.

In doing so the 25-year old youngster did succeed in scripting an answer to an England pace attack that had thrived on the use of the ball to going physical aiming for the body to softening the Lankan batsmen. The putting out of Dinesh Chandimal out of action for a good part by a blow to his right thumb was one example of the hard tactics resorted to by the English to undoing the Sri Lankans. The fast men’s gleeful body language in felling best exemplify that it was part of their game plan.

That Mendis walked into such a scenario to fighting fire with fire from such a debilitation in a truly spectacular mercurial showmanship of defying the bulldozing four-pronged England attack to anointing his name in another milestone chapter of scoring his third test century in only his fourth appearance was indeed a success story of individual brilliance. Sri Lanka had lost by a margin of five wickets, but Mendis had succeeded in becoming an overnight sensation.

The feat of a youngster who made his test debut just over two years ago in July against Australia and scored a maiden half century, but did not get the selectors nod since then till the call up in March this year in a test match against Bangladesh which he transformed to record book heights by decorating himself in twin century greatness was an epitaph by itself; an epitaph mounted from the shackles of two years in the wilderness which this youth find from the national U19 set up shrugged off to displaying that such a sidelining had by no means rusted technique and class.

By and large this Richmond College discovery brought class to the table in next to no time reality that has stood out Kamindu Mendis in the realms of an extraordinary performer, a fact further demonstrated to the hilt by following up twin centuries in fast motion of five months since hi magical twin century feat.

The Sri Lankan has succeeded in setting the rest of the cricketing world agog with experts hailing the youngster as Sri Lanka’s Lower Order X’Factor.

He has also scored for the left-hand breed of perfection heralding a new trail of promise for the future.