By Ranga Sirilal
COLOMBO, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha
Mendis has promised to deliver all five of his bowling
variations in the Twenty20 World Cup tournament which begins
next Tuesday.
Mendis, who holds the best bowling figures in the T20 format
with 6-16 from four overs against Australia in 2011, has been
included in Sri Lanka’s squad after spending nine months out
with a back complaint.
He is known for his unique style of spin bowling in which he
applies finger techniques similar to those used while playing a
popular Indian subcontinent board game called Carrom.
Mendis’s own “Carrom ball” is bowled using his middle finger
to push the ball out of the hand. It often troubles batsmen who
fall victim to lbw after failing to spot its hidden
characteristics.
“Now I’m ready to bowl all five deliveries,” the 27-year-old
told reporters.
“The difficulty I had was that I wasn’t able to bowl all
five variations I used to deliver, with the injury. But after my
recovery I can tell you that I have come back to my old form.”
Sri Lanka, hosts of the Twenty20 World Cup, have included
Mendis, Rangana Herath and the uncapped Akhila Dhananjaya as
three spinners for the tournament.
Sri Lanka open the tournament with a match against Group C
rivals Zimbabwe in Hambantota next Tuesday, followed by a game
against South Africa at the same venue four days later.
(Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Mark Pangallo)
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