Player Profile: Ajantha Mendis

One of the best spinners out there in the world of cricket just announced his retirement from the game. Ajantha Mendis is undoubtedly one of the well-known players for Sri Lanka. When it comes to the T20 series, you would possibly not find many bowlers better than this guy. Today, we would be looking at who is and what he has managed to achieve for his country before his retirement.

Who is Ajantha Mendis?

Ajantha Mendis is a cricket player who was born in 1985 on the 11th day of March. Throughout his career, he played for his country, Sri Lanka. One of the things that he was known for was the mystery spinner. This was because of the actions he took whenever it was time for him to bowl. He announced his retirement from cricket this month.

Another notable thing about this player is that he also has a cricket career in the military. This was possible since he was considered to be a member of the army for Sri Lanka.He was able to play for the army team since 2004. His rank in the army currently is Sergeant. He has often said that one of the reasons why he joined the army was because he was suddenly the head after his father died from a heart attack.

International career and awards

His international career started when he played the match again India for his country. He was quickly off the mark as he got the better of Rahul Dravid with the wicket of his international career. The amazing part was that he managed to do this with just his fifth over which was incredible on his debut. However, in 2014, he suffered one of his greatest injuries in a back injury. This injury has seriously hampered the way he has bowled in recent times.

One of the awards which he won in 2008 was the ICC awards for the emerging player of that cricket year. He was truly a great player. One of the things which he was particularly known for was his bowling. Many cricket professionals noted that his bowling methods were very usual. Some even stated that he was a freaky player.

Personal Life

He comes from a family that has 5 children. He is the 3rd child in that line. He has been a Catholic from birth and grew up in an area where there was hardly any good infrastructure to learn sports. However, upon his leaving his school to Moratuwa, he would become acquainted with cricket.

Conclusion

With Ajantha confirming his retirement some days back, it is quite clear that Sri Lanka and indeed the entire world of cricket has lost a fine player. With a back injury making his last years to be a bit worrisome, he would surely look back with a feeling of pride at what he has been to achieve. However, he would probably wonder if he would have been able to achieve so much more.