Retaining Mendis, is it a fair call?

by Rex Clementine

With no half-centuries in the league stages of the Lanka Premier League, Kusal Mendis is facing the axe from the Jaffna Kings side for the playoffs. In fact, the opening batter has 30 runs as the highest score after eight innings in the LPL. It will be a comedy of errors if Jaffna drop him but Mendis still goes on to open batting for Sri Lanka next week in the three match T-20 series against India at Pallekele.

Sadeera Samarawickrama and Dhananjaya de Silva have been both axed for the India series and so is Angleo Mathews. All had poor returns during the LPL and the World Cup that preceded. No doubt they deserved the axed. But Mendis was spared. How come?

The selectors apparently wanted Mendis dropped but newly appointed captain Chairth Asalanka had argued Mendis’ case. Isn’t this a nice pattern? When Mendis is captain he backs Asalanka when he is about to be dropped and in return when Asalanka is captain he doesn’t agree when the axe is about to fall on Mendis. To quote Ranjan Ramanayake, ‘mun okkoma yahaluwo malli.’

All the greats have got dropped at a certain stage of their careers. Aravinda was given the cold shoulder after having won Sri Lanka a World Cup; MJ was dropped after being the vice-captain of the team while Murali had to fight for his place in the latter stages of his career to play white ball cricket. Why not Mendis? Is he bigger than Aravinda, MJ and Murali?

To be fair, Mendis was Player of the Series in Sri Lanka’s last series win in Bangladesh. On the other hand, you feel that you have invested on him so much that you need to keep backing him hoping that he will come good. However, having said that all, in sports you pick players on performance and merit, not on promise, seniority or captain’s choice.

Already you are regretting giving Wanindu Hasaranga too much of clout pertaining to selection matters. Why do you want to repeat the same mistake with Asalanka? However, the message sent to Asalanka seems to be clear. Mendis will get to play the opening game of the three-match series and if he doesn’t fire it’s match over.

Above all, a break from the game is not a bad idea for Mendis. He has struggled to deliver the goods and let him go back and work on the basics.

As of now Mendis and Nissanka are tipped to open the batting next Saturday in the first game. Avishka Fernando is expected to bat at number four as the selectors are looking for a new role for him after repeated failures against the new ball.

Overall, the selectors have made some good calls. Backing Mendis is the only disappointment. But then, Mr. Mendis can always go on to prove his critics wrong. We have been waiting for that for years.

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