The return of the prodigal son

Rex Clementine in Sydney

It’s unlikely that we will see another like Sanga in our lifetime. His was not a case of extraordinary talent, but an insane work ethic. There was this Test match at the Basin Reserve in New Zealand, where he fell for a low score. He didn’t walk back to the comforts of the dressing room. Instead, there was a sign for the coach to turn up at the practice nets and throw downs would go on till lunch time.

Fresh from a triple hundred in Bangladesh, the team landed in Colombo on a Saturday and Sanga was back in the nets at his beloved NCC on a Sunday. He was addicted to nets  like some of us are for Harry J’s Extra Special.

His work ethic was insane. His captaincy was a nightmare for the press, because the press conferences never started on time. Nobody could fault him either as if it was a rule those days that Sanga had to come out of the nets last.

That insatiable appetite for success saw him reign as world’s number one ranked batsman for a couple of years and there were hundreds not only on the docile tracks of Asia but the quick ones in South Africa, seaming tracks of England and bouncy wickets of Australia. Moral of the story is if there’s a will, there’s a way. But, that doesn’t mean every good cricketer can end up as President of MCC.

Sanga may have the numbers but for sheer domination of attacks and treating them with scant respect, Aravinda gets the nod any day.

The fact that he was part of a side that was still finding its feet at the big stage and that he proved his worth from the little opportunities he had got make his feats truly remarkable.

As Aravinda’s dashing career that lasted for 19 years ended, Sanga took on the baton and had a tremendous run for a decade and a half. But since then, the team has struggled to find a mainstay in their batting; a man whom they can rely on to bail them out time and again.

In recent months, Kusal Mendis has shown signs of getting ready to fill those big boots. He is currently the second highest run getter in this World Cup and has a chance to finish top of the ladder with another good show in Sri Lanka’s last clash against England in Sydney.

After an impressive debut year in 2016, where his efforts enabled Sri Lanka to whitewash Aussies 3-0, Mendis never really got going. There were the occasional spark, like in Port Elizabeth, where he made Dale Steyn look a pale shadow of his former self, but consistency was lacking. Then off the field distractions saw him getting suspended. You aren’t sure whether he’s settled down as yet, but one thing  is for sure, he has shown consistency and of course application. Here’s why.

It was a smart move by the selectors to hand him the keeping gloves. Firstly, it enabled them to balance the side by playing an additional bowler and secondly, Mendis took things up a bit more seriously. Not only did he have to keep wickets, he had to open batting as well and which meant that he had to work harder on his fitness. That he has done and his keeping has been flawless. Naturally, when you keep wickets, your eye is in and you have a feel as to how the ball behaves and that’s helped his batting too.

Mendis has been one hell of a talent and when he’s on song there aren’t many better scenes in cricket. His causal approach and soft dismissals have often infuriated fans. But he seems to have turned a corner. Those shoes of Sanga’s and Aravinda’s are too large to fill, but if there’s one who can at least give it a try, that’s got to be Mendis. When the prodigal son returns, you are reminded to welcome him with open arms for there’s no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.