The 2 match lean patch

It had to happen.

Splendid’s hit a 2 match lean patch.

The jury is out and Mendis  is no longer a threat.

So says Harbajan and so says a million others who are of the idea that flyslips own Splendid is no good.

Its true that Mendis has picked up only a single wicket in 2 games.

Its also true that the batsmen from Pakistan and India played him better than anyone has in his short career.

But its also true that Mendis is not bowling to his capabilities.

The kids trying out too many variations within one over and ends up losing his length.

That works with lesser opposition like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or West  Indies but not against the spin gurus from India.

The last two ODIs showed Mendis bowling too short too often and then over compensating by throwing it up too much.

The batsmen have played him well, looking to attack and trying to be aggressive, but Mendis has contributed his share to the problem.

We think its a case of inexperience, after all he is only 25 matches old. A mere toddler in today’s world.

Luckily for him he doesn’t need to look too far for advice. Murali has been bowling well in the last few games without too many wickets.

His flight is good and the length is near perfect.

The other thing Murali does well is hide his doosra, he works over a bastmen with his stock ball and then picks him off with the wrong un.

Mendis needs to steal a couple of Muralis play books to learn this. He has an arsenal of tricks to match Wasim Akram. But he tries to over do it.

The importance of a stock ball can’t be under estimated. Even for someone as gifted with variation as Splendid is.

Wanting to do well is good, but trying too hard is not.

Splendid will learn from this. But he has to learn fast.

10 Comments

  1. Agarkar the other 50 ODI wkts world recorder didn’t learn fast. he never learnt at all. but on the back of that record he sure did play plenty. early prmoise can be many a player’s bane.
    – nc

    January 30, 2009
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  2. Sachintha said:

    I agree.
    If he develop his off-spin into his stock ball and maybe ball the carrom-ball and other variations like once ever couple overs, he is gonna be damn hard to read.

    January 30, 2009
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  3. Wasim said:

    Its too early to discount him, of course people will learn to play him better and his SR will drop but with all those tricks in his sleeves he can be lethal weapon anytime.

    January 30, 2009
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  4. The kids trying out too many variations within one over and ends up losing his length…

    perfect example of how your strength can turn out to be your weakness too…

    January 30, 2009
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  5. …and damith…would yo mind update your blogroll as ‘straight points’ not ‘strait point’ with change in url…”http://www.straightpoints.com”…

    thanks in advance…

    January 30, 2009
    Reply
  6. i agree with BCC! that early promise can be a bane. but here is one important caveat.

    Agarkar was absolutely, undeniably, completely shit. he was one of the worst things to ever happen to cricket. now that india has for the first time in millenia actually good fast bowlers, and that little beauty ishant, its time to accept that the only reason agarkar got wickets was that batsmen thought he was so shit they tried to play him with their eyes closed. seriously, i hate agarkar with a visceral hatred i have never had for any other indian cricketer.

    that said, mendis is genuinely talented. he’s just impatient. i know the lankans are shitting their pants that what if turns out to be a flash in the pan, but he is seriously seriously good.

    take that warner bloke – another exciting new comer. he looks like he could be a one trick pony. mendis is so not a one trick pony.

    January 30, 2009
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  7. raj said:

    oh yes KK, absolutely. On both counts. Agarkar was undoubtedly shit. Not only you. Many Indians(most of them not from Mumbai) hate him with a viscereal hatred usually reserved for foreign filmmakers making movies on our slums 🙂
    Mendis is a genuine talent. Anyone who can make Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman dance to his tunes *anytime* in his/their career is genuinely talented. He’ll cope. Just give the NZ-ers and Englishmen an island tour now. The South Africans will do fine now. Maybe, no, not SA. Get the Aussies to the island. NOW. I mean, NOW!

    January 30, 2009
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  8. damiths said:

    NC> Ya, now so many ppl are expecting so much from Mendis in every game. There must be quite a bit of pressure on him right now.

    But Mendis is far more talented and with more experience Im sure he can come good.

    Sach> A stock ball is essential, the offie could be is stock, he just needs to relax more at the crease and take things slow.

    Wasim> We think so too. All Hail the SPLENDID MENDIS !

    SP> Yep, hopefully someone (Murali) tells him this before he loses it all together and gets too confused.

    Will update it ASAP buddy.

    KK> Good point on AA. He was pretty useless after that initial burst in his early career. Like I said before Mendis needs to be more relaxed and not let the pressure of getting wickets phase him. Cuz right now I think the pressure might be getting to him just a little.

    raj> The thing is its easy to get wickets when you are as mysterious as Mendis is at the early part of your career. Now its up to Mendis that he really does have something special about him.

    We got Pakistan next. After that nothing for about 3-4 months. Think SA come to SL after that. Should be easy pickings 🙂

    January 31, 2009
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  9. nesta said:

    Don’t worry Damith, Splendid will win a match on his own in this series. Pakistan played him well in the first match and then starting crowing about how they have his measure.

    Even without wickets he takes the pressure of Murali and will no doubt prolong the great man’s career which can only bode well for Sri Lankan cricket.

    January 31, 2009
    Reply
  10. jdgoal said:

    Absolutely agree that he tries too many variations in an over. Also, his length is also not consistent. These are 2 things he needs to keep in control.

    By just bowling at a good length with his stock ball and creating pressure on the batsmen would help him a great deal. He has to learn to settle into a bowling pattern when he comes on.

    When Murali comes on he first dries up the runs creating pressure and then gets his wickets.

    February 1, 2009
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