Cricket has kept Duleep Mendis busy all his life. After courting success as player, captain and manager, he is now the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Cricket has kept Duleep Mendis busy all his life. After courting success as player, captain and manager, he is now the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, tackling tasks of a different kind.
He is a contended man seeing the development of the game over the years and takes pride in the fact that Sri Lanka recently became the No.2 side in Test cricket. He was the one who led his team to their first Test victory and also the manager of the side that won the World Cup in 1996 when Arjuna Ranatunga was the captain and Dav Whatmore the coach.
“I think Sri Lanka have shaped up well over the years. My successors have done a fine job for the Sri Lankan team. The World Cup win changed the profile of the team, so to say, and we have been doing fairly well over the years,” says Mendis.
“I think Kumar Sangakkara is doing a fine job and the team is shaping well. It is a fairly balanced side and one that can’t be taken lightly by anyone,” adds Mendis, who led his team to their first victory in Tests against a formidable Indian side led by Kapil Dev in 1985, at a time when they were the World Cup holders and had also won the World Championship of cricket the same year.
“That remains one of the best memories for me. The Indians were a fine team with players like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amaranth. But in that series, our pace bowlers — Rumesh Ratnayake and Asantha de Mel did a terrific job,” remembers Mendis.
“But before we won at the Sara Oval, we had come very close to doing it in the previous match at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground. The Indians came within three wickets of equalizing in the next Test at Kandy, but we managed to hold on to also complete our first series win,” says Mendis, who scored a fighting century to stave off defeat in that match. “I am proud of what all we have achieved over the years.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}