Nine years on from his international debut, Sri Lanka’s Jeevan Mendis describes centerstage at the Cricket World Cup as a ‘dream come true’.
Mendis, now 36, last made a ODI appearance four years ago and spent months training on his own in Colombo in the hope of a bolt from the blue.
Having shone in South African domestic cricket, Mendis has been pitched back in by the 1996 winners and is hoping to use his experience in English conditions to make a mark.
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“I have just been working on my fitness at my club, Tamil Union, not involved with any cricket really,” said Mendis, who spent a season in county cricket at Derbyshire in 2017.
“I was hoping to maybe get a chance at the World Cup and it’s a dream come true.
“Playing in England was very helpful for me. I learned how to adapt to conditions in this country and how you can still spin the ball.
“It isn’t easy to make an impact as a spinner so I will share my experience with the boys and hopefully we can do well.”
Mendis is striking up an unlikely spin partnership with fellow leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, himself brought in after nearly two years out of the side.
The Sri Lanka squad will lean heavily on the experience of newly-appointed skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga in their bid to succeed.
Karunaratne’s 87 and 54 from Mathews in warm-up defeat to Sri Lanka suggests Sri Lanka’s senior players are primed to spearhead their challenge.
Mendis, who brings 54 one-day caps to the table, says their first two games against New Zealand and Afghanistan will be crucial as they settle into the tournament.
“It’s a bit difficult blending the squad together,” he said.
“But as a team back home, we were training together for one month. We are a young team with experience.
“I think we’re still getting used to English conditions. We’ve played in Scotland already – it was freezing there!
“The first two games of the World Cup are going to be crucial.
“If we can do well in those, that will set the tone for a good tournament for Sri Lanka.”
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