A number of Pakistan’s batsmen have spoken of the pace which Mendis bowls at as being the key to his success. So reading him off the pitch or from the hand, goes the thinking, is important, but not as much as adjusting to his pace, which allows you little time to adjust. As Imran Khan famously did before a series against the West Indies in 1987-88, batsmen have practiced on shorter surfaces, to counter an altogether different threat.
Sri Lanka will split their tour to Pakistan over two legs in January and February, playing in total, three ODIs and two Tests. A gap in between of over two weeks thus paves the way for Sri Lanka to host a potential one-day series against India.
After much negotiation and tweaking of provisional itineraries, Sri Lanka will now arrive in Pakistan on January 18 to play three day-night ODIs, leave and then come back on February 14th to play two Tests.
"The ODIs will be played on January 21, 24 and 27 at Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad respectively," Salim Altaf, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo.
“We are practicing a lot for Mendis,” said Misbah. “We’re playing bowlers from shorter distances so we can counter the fast pace. There is no reason why we cannot handle him because all Pakistan players are good against spin.”
Intent is one thing, execution another altogether and as his captain Mahela Jayawardene pointed out, Mendis is a man who doesn’t fret about pressure. “He hasn’t had added pressure and has gone through all the batting line-ups he has come across. He is enjoying his challenges and pressure does not affect him as he is a very simple guy. He doesn’t have to go through such interviews because his knowledge of English is not that great so he rests in his room watching movies.”
Having one of the game’s greatest spinners at the other end is no bad thing either. “He knows what his role is and there are some really good guys around him giving him advice especially Murali who is a brilliant role model. He has worked very hard for 18 years, gone through so many issues and come through very well. As long as Ajantha realises that and goes along the same path as Murali, I’m sure we’ll have a big match-winner for us in the next ten years.
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