Duleep Mendis led Sri Lanka to first Test Victory

Leslie FERNANDO

CRICKET: Duleep Mendis, the present Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket is a former Sri Lanka cricketer who captained the country to their first Test win in 1985 against India in Calcutta. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a player came during the years 1982 to 1985.

He was at two schools - first at St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa then at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia. Mendis also captained St. Sebastians’s in 1968 and S. Thomas’ in 1972. At both schools he scored more than 1000 runs for the seasons he played.

He scored centuries in the 1971 (103 n.o.) and 1972 (184) in the Royal-Thomian encounters. He still holds the record for the highest scorer in the annual Royal-Thomian cricket encounter. While at S. Thomas’, Mendis toured India with the Sri Lanka Schools cricket team captained by Mitra Wettimuny.

Mendis was the key player for his workplace after leaving school Maharaja Organisation. He played in Mercantile ‘A’ division cricket tourneys. He played for SSC where he had the opportunity of captaining the side but because of national duty he had to miss some matches.

Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka in 1972, batting at number three against the visiting Tamil Nadu side. He 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. There were other matches where Mendis represented Sri Lanka where the international tag was not there.

The first one day international, however, came in 1975 against West-Indies. He made just eight. It took seven years more before Mendis got the chance of playing another Test Match in 1982, February. It was against England. In that match he scored 17 and 27 and Sri Lanka lost by seven wickets.

More defeats followed and in his first eight innings he only recorded one fifty in the first Test of three against Pakistan. However, during the tour of India in 1982 he showed his real skill. Sri Lanka had lost early wickets for 11 runs and Mendis was sent to bat with Roy Dias.

The Partnership between Dias and Mendis was worth 153 runs, a third wicket record then for Sri Lanka. Mendis made his maiden century 113 and helped Sri Lanka bat out the first day and make 346. Then India amassed 566 for 6 and declared leaving Sri Lanka to try and save the match.

The Sri Lanka openers failed and it was left for Mendis to help Sri Lanka again. Mendis did not disappoint and he played a majestic innings to score 105 so that Sri Lanka made 234 for 5 wickets in their second innings to draw the match.

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 efforts didn’t bring the desired results and Sri Lanka lost the games in which he made reasonable scores while Mendis made a ‘duck’ in Sri Lanka’s only win.

Mendis had a string of poor scores on New Zealand 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.

On that English summer, Mendis made his third Test century as Sri Lanka amassed 491 for 7, batting first.

Mendis made first Test century by a Sri Lankan captain while in office.

In the second innings, Mendis scored 94.

In fact he could not repeat his feat of twin centuries against India at Chepauk, Madras in 1982.

Lord’s Test drawn

Sri Lanka drew the Test at Lord’s in 1984 with Alan Lamb scoring 107 to save England.

A poor World Series Cup in 1984-85 followed where Sri Lanka only won one out of ten ODIs and Mendis was out for single figures four times. Then came the 1985 Indian tour, Mendis led from the front as India was defeated I-0 in three Tests.

After that tour which also included a drawn ODI series, Mendis’ form declined. He made two Test fifties in his last ten Tests and two ODI fifties in his last 32 ODIs following the Indian tour.

Ranjan Madugalle replaced Mendis as captain for the very last Test that Mendis played and he bowed out with a rearguard 56 that was, however, not good enough to save the game. He remained within the Sri Lankan cricketing sphere, however as he was the manager of the successful 1996 Cricket World Cup side.

He also coached the Sri Lanka side from 1992 to 1993. He has represented country from 1972 to 1990 and captained about 5 years.

Mendis has played in 24 Tests, scoring 1,329, batting average 31.64, four centuries and eight half centuries, top score of 124 held 9 catches.

In the one-day internationals, he played 79 matches scoring 1,527 runs at an average of 23.49, scored seven half centuries and held 14 catches.