From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Duleep
Mendis
 |
| Personal information |
| Batting style |
Right-handed batsman |
| Bowling style |
Right arm medium
pace |
| Career statistics |
| Competition |
Tests |
ODIs |
| Matches |
24 |
79 |
| Runs scored |
1329 |
1527 |
| Batting average |
31.64 |
23.49 |
| 100s/50s |
4/8 |
0/7 |
| Top score |
124 |
80 |
| Balls bowled |
0 |
0 |
| Wickets |
0 |
0 |
| Bowling average |
0 |
0 |
| 5 wickets in innings |
0 |
0 |
| 10 wickets in match |
0 |
n/a |
| Best bowling |
n/a |
n/a |
| Catches/stumpings |
9/0 |
14/0 |
|
Source: [1], 24 March
1989 |
Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis (born 25 August 1952,
Moratuwa) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who captained
Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was
primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a player came
from 1982 to 1985. His first years of school were spent at St.
Sebastian's College, Moratuwa while the last years were spent in S.
Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. Mendis also captained the Under 20
1st XI sides of both schools and still holds the record for the
highest scorer in the annual Royal-Thomian Cricket Encounter for
the Thomians.
Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka in 1972, batting at number
three against the visiting Tamil Nadu side. Mendis
top-scored in the first innings with 52, and also made 34 in the
second innings, but could not prevent an innings defeat. This match
did not have international status, and indeed Mendis represented
Sri Lanka in a number of non-internationals. His first ODI, however, came in 1975, when
he made 8 against the West Indies in a batting
collapse. It took seven more years before Mendis got to play a Test match; on 17
February 1982 he joined forces with the other Sri Lankans against
England. In that match, he was sent in to
bat at number four, but only made 17 and 27 in Sri Lanka's
seven-wicket defeat. More defeats followed, and in his first eight
innings he only recorded one fifty, in the first Test of three
against Pakistan.
However, on tour of India in
the northern autumn of 1982 he showed his real skill. Sri Lanka had
lost two early wickets for 11 runs, and Mendis was sent in to bat
with Roy Dias. Their
partnership was worth 153 runs, then a third-wicket record for Sri
Lanka, and Mendis' maiden century helped Sri Lanka bat out the
first day. Then, India amassed 566 for 6 before declaring, leaving Sri Lanka
to try and save the draw. Again, the openers fell for single-digit
scores, and again Mendis made 105 - which helped Sri Lanka bat
until tea on the fifth day. Sri Lanka eventually drew the Test,
their first drawn Test series in their history.
In the 1983 Cricket World Cup, Mendis
recorded his third One Day International fifty (the
previous two came in the 1979 World Cup and on tour to Pakistan in 1982). However, despite a
respectable batting average of 25.33, Mendis'
fortunes were the reverse of the Sri Lankan side. Sri Lanka lost
the games in which he made reasonable scores, while Mendis made a
duck in Sri Lanka's only win.
Mendis recorded a string of poor scores on New Zealand's tour of the island in 1984,
only passing 20 once in six Test innings. By this time, however, he
was established as the captain of the side, and still picked
for the Test match in England that
English summer. Mendis made his third Test century as Sri Lanka
smashed 491 for 7 batting first amid the rain, and the first Test
century by a Sri Lankan captain while in office. Sri Lanka
drew that Test. A poor World Series Cup in 1984-85 followed,
where Sri Lanka only won one out of ten ODIs, and Mendis was out in
single figures four times.
Then came the 1985 Indian tour.
Mendis led from the front, scoring three fifties and one
series-saving century in the third Test, as India were defeated 1–0 in three
Tests. After that tour, which also included a drawn ODI series,
Mendis' career declined, and by the end of his career it was
probably only his captaincy that kept him in. He made two Test
fifties in his last ten Tests, and two ODI fifties in his last 32
ODIs following the India tour. Ranjan Madugalle replaced him as
captain for the very last Test that Mendis played, where he bowed
out with a rearguard 56 that was, however, not to be good enough to
save a draw. He remained within the Sri Lankan cricketing sphere,
however, as he was manager of the successful 1996
Cricket World Cup side.
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