Sports

Mendis finally comes good after years of false dawns

Published

9 months ago

2025/07/13

Kusal Mendis has been unstoppable against Bangladesh across the three formats

In a country where schoolboy cricket is a religion and teenage prodigies are thrust into the limelight before they’ve even sprouted a stubble, Sri Lanka’s conveyor belt of talent has never run dry. From Anura Tennekoon to Arjuna Ranatunga and more recently Mahela Jayawardene, the island has always had a knack for spotting its next big thing before the ink dried on their GCE O/Level results.

Kusal Mendis, cut from that same cloth, was earmarked for greatness long before he left the gates of Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. Elegant against pace, wristy against spin and composed on treacherous wickets, Mendis had all the hallmarks of a future batting colossus.

Such was the faith in his ability that he was fast-tracked into the Test side with barely a handful of First-Class appearances to his name. The move paid rich dividends when, in 2016, Mendis played a starring role in Sri Lanka’s historic 3-0 whitewash of Australia — a feat that still raises eyebrows for this was against Starc and Hazelwood.

But as is often the case in Sri Lankan cricket, the brightest stars sometimes burn out the quickest. What followed was a rollercoaster ride — moments of brilliance drowned in an ocean of inconsistency.

There were glimmers — like the blinder in Port Elizabeth that laid the groundwork for Sri Lanka’s Test series win on South African soil — but they were too few and far between. Twice he was dismissed in the 190s, both times caught on the fence attempting to clear it for a six like Aravinda de Silva. The flair was evident, but so too was the impetuosity.

Off the field, Mendis did himself no favours either. A disciplinary breach saw him cop a one-year ban, later reduced on appeal. But public sentiment had turned. The boy wonder had become a lightning rod for criticism and many felt his time was up.

To their credit, the selectors held their nerve. Where others had been shown the door, Mendis was given the long rope. Six centuries after 146 ODIs would have been curtains for most. But there was always the sense that Mendis was a rare gem — flawed, yes, but one that could yet be polished.

Since 2024, the tide has turned.

Much of the credit for Sri Lanka’s historic Test win in England last year went to Pathum Nissanka, but the real graft — seeing off the new ball under cloudy skies — was done by Mendis. It was a knock that didn’t catch headlines but laid the foundation.

Back home, a new role awaited him. The selectors handed him the gloves in Tests and a floating role in the batting order across formats. Far from buckling under the dual burden, Mendis has flourished.

His 84 at the SSC a fortnight ago, batting with the tail, was a clinic in composure before a freak run-out cut him short. Then came the blitz at RPS — a 20-ball half-century, the fastest at the ground — only for him to throw it away, triggering a collapse that allowed Bangladesh to level the series.

But at Pallekele, with the series on the line, Mendis delivered a masterclass. His hundred not only anchored the innings but also set up a memorable win, reminding everyone why he was once touted as the heir to Kumar Sangakkara’s batting throne

Then in the first T-20I, alongside Nissanka, he bludgeoned 50 off just 19 balls, setting the tone for a record Power Play — 83 runs in six overs, Sri Lanka’s highest ever in the format.

Across formats, in the space of a fortnight, Mendis has come up with match-winning performances — a purple patch that has propelled him into the ICC’s top ten ODI batters.For nearly a decade, Kusal Mendis was the poster boy of unfulfilled promise. If the first ten years were a tease, the next five could well be the payoff Sri Lanka waited far too long for.

Rex Clementine in Dambulla ✍️

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Sports

Tharanga ready to shine after record-breaking massive throw

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

Rumesh Tharanga

Sri Lankan champion thrower Rumesh Tharanga created history with yet another world-leading effort when he shattered his own national record at the Champions Track and Field event held at Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium on Saturday.

‎Tharanga produced a massive throw of 89.37 metres in his final attempt, a distance which, once ratified by World Athletics, is expected to stand as the fourth-longest throw ever recorded in Asia. The outstanding performance further cemented his status as one of the region’s leading javelin throwers.

‎Despite facing little competition from his rivals at the meet, Tharanga displayed the composure and determination of a true champion. Rising above the field, he delivered the record-breaking throw in dramatic fashion with his final effort of the competition.

‎Coming into the meet, Tharanga already held the world-leading mark of 83.07 metres for the season. Saturday’s performance elevated him to a new level, strengthening his reputation as a strong medal prospect for Sri Lanka on the global stage this year.

‎Tharanga first attracted widespread international attention when he set a Sri Lankan national record with a throw of 86.50 metres, a performance that earned him the gold medal at an international meet and secured direct qualification for the World Athletics Championships.

‎The former athlete of St. Peter’s College Colombo has continued to impress since then, producing consistent world-class performances while competing against some of the best javelin throwers in the world. Among his major achievements is reaching the final of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, becoming the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach the final stage of the event.

‎With his latest record-breaking performance, Tharanga has once again demonstrated that he is ready to shine and carry Sri Lanka’s hopes at the highest level of international athletics.

By Reemus Fernando

Sports

Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup heroes to play exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka’s trailblazing 1996 World Cup-winning side will roll back the years when they take on a World XI in Kuala Lumpur, marking three decades since their watershed triumph that changed the game’s field settings for good.

The exhibition match, hosted by the historic Royal Selangor Club, an institution that has been part of Asia’s sporting fabric since 1884, will be preceded by a gala dinner before the old warhorses lace up their boots once more against a Rest of the World XI.

It promises to be more than a nostalgic lap around the park.

“Some of the players took the initiative and I thought it was a splendid idea,” Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain who marshalled his troops like a seasoned general in 1996, told Telecom Asia Sport. “It helps us come together again and more importantly, inspire the next lot coming through.”

Beyond the boundary ropes, the legends will don the coach’s hat, conducting sessions aimed at passing on the baton to aspiring youngsters.

Former Malaysian cricketer Devindran Ramanathan, one of the chief architects behind the event, is keen that this is not just a walk down memory lane but a springboard for the future.

“This isn’t only about celebrating a World Cup win,” Ramanathan said. “It’s about showing young players what’s possible when you dare to dream.”

“When players of that calibre turn up, it shouldn’t end with autographs and photographs. It must open doors and broaden horizons,” he added.

In a heartening initiative, around 20 youngsters from Malaysia’s interior, players who have been making steady strides despite limited facilities, will be brought to the capital on May 15 and 16 to witness the action up close.

For many of them, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with giants of the game, a chance to trade dusty nets for the bright lights and perhaps believe that they, too, can one day play on the big stage.

“The real impact is not the match or the dinner,” Ramanathan noted. “It is whether a young player walks away believing they can go further.”

Malaysia, steadily padding up as a regional cricket hub, has already hosted events like the Under-19 World Cup and continues to expand its footprint in the game. In a sporting landscape dominated by motor racing, racquet sports and football, visits from former world champions in cricket could well help the sport get a firmer grip.

All 14 members of Sri Lanka’s 1996 squad are expected to travel to Malaysia in the second week of May, even as life has taken many of them to different corners of the globe.

Their famous triumph over Australia in Lahore remains one of cricket’s most defining moments, a victory that didn’t just tilt the balance of a final, but shifted the axis of the modern game itself.

(telecomasia.net)

Latest News

Caf general secretary resigns amid Afcon final fallout

Published

5 hours ago

2026/03/30

Priyan

The general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has resigned amid a chaotic time for football on the continent

Veron Mosengo-Omba said in a statement he was retiring, but his departure comes during the fallout over decisions to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title and postpone the women’s tournament at the last minute.

These incidents have left Caf, the governing body for African football, battling a crisis of confidence.

Mosengo-Omba alluded to controversies faced during his tenure in his statement on Sunday.

“Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever,” Mosengo-Omba, deputy to Caf president Patrice Motsepe, wrote.

The 66-year-old has been criticised for staying on as general secretary past the organisation’s mandatory retirement age of 63.

He has also been accused by some employees of creating a toxic atmosphere in the workplace, although an investigation after staff complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Mosengo-Omba, who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo but also holds Swiss nationality, was appointed general secretary in March 2021.

According to news agency Reuters, Caf’s competitions director, Samson Adamu, will take over as acting general secretary.

The governing body is awaiting a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) on Senegal’s appeal against being stripped of the Afcon title.

Senegal is challenging Caf’s appeals body for overturning their 1-0 win over hosts Morocco in January’s Afcon final.

During the game, Senegal’s players left the field in protest when, with the score at 0-0, hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

When they returned after a delay of about 17 minutes, Morocco subsequently failed to score the spot-kick and Senegal netted an extra-time winner.

Following an appeal by the Moroccan FA (FRMF), Caf later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match and Morocco were awarded a 3-0 victory.

(BBC)