The New Big Thing, Or So We Thought: Demise Of Ajantha Mendis

By the end of 2008, Mendis the magician had arrived. A spellbinding 6-13 against India grabbed the cricketing worlds attention and a potential superstar was born. Bowling with a unique 'finger-flicking' action, Mendis had bastman around the world running to the T.V screens to try and decipher the Mendis code. Was that a googly? No wait a leggie? Offie? Hang on...what's a Carrom ball?! Or is it a Doosra? You get the picture.

The supposed next Murali racked up some astonishing statistics in his first year. In the Test arena he played just three matches taking a brutal 26 wickets at an average of under 19 against the 'mere' spin masters of India...his ODI statistics even today are astonishing: 36 games, 71 wickets @ 16.36. Eat your heart out Muttiah...

In the Test arena though, 2009 has been by the standards of the year before, terrible. Since playing Bangladesh in January 2009 Mendis has taken just 11 wickets @ 62.9 with a strike rate of an astronomical 122.7. Whats gone wrong? Have batsmen unravelled the code? It would seem unfortunately so, when he bowled against India in 2008 it was astonishing to watch the likes of Laxman and Dravid beaten time and time again, walking away from the crease with a look of pure confusion. Turn the clock forward a year and his figures were 2-162. But not to be harsh, he wasn't the only struggler...

It's hardly a surprise that so-called magic mystery spinners are being unravelled with the endless amount of analysis and footage at a professional batsman's disposal. Another tick in the column of the batsman friendly modern game.

It's not all been a downhill plunge on the international stage for Mendis in the past year though. His ODI and T20 performances have been of the highest class, his bowling average in the one-dayers is still below 17 and his economy in the even shorter slog-fest is an superb 5.3rpo.

It is questionable though that his statistics are slightly glazed over with over a quarter of all his ODI games coming against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and the UAE where he has taken 24 of his 71 wickets at just an average of 10. Harder challenges await... but you can't discount his performances against the might of India. It's a tough thing to analyse. Saying that, a Kolkata Night Riders contract is easily justified.

It's a terrible thought to think that such a unique talent will disappear from Test Cricket as quickly as he arrived. The 24-year-old has time on his flicking-fingers, and with the impending retirement of Muralitharan, their is a void that needs to be filled (even though that is probably impossible considering what Murali has done). My hope is that he is the number one contender when the great off-spinner makes his final bow. Cricket needs its quality unique spinners, and he has more than enough in his locker to be one.