Ajantha Mendis set to break world record

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis is set to break the world record for the fastest bowler in One-Day Internationals to take 50 wickets. The 23-year-old Sri Lankan soldier has been mesmerizing opponents since his debut early this year and so far has claimed 48 ODI victims in 17 matches leading up to Sunday’s fifth and final ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare.

The record is held by India’s Ajit Agarkar, who in 1998 went pass Dennis Lillee’s record that had stood for 18 years. Lillee had taken 24 matches to claim 50 victims while Agarkar did it in 23 games.

Mendis has enjoyed a successful series so far having claimed 15 wickets in four games at a miserly 7:06 apiece.

Ever since he made his debut against the West Indies in April this year, Mendis’ mixture of off-breaks, leg-breaks, googlies, flippers and top-spinners has troubled the world’s best batsmen.

He claimed six for 29 on Thursday in Harare, the eighth best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan in one-dayers.

He also broke a World Record that had stood for 62 years on his debut series when he claimed 26 wickets in a three match series breaking Sir Alec Bedser’s record that had been established in 1946.

Saturday, November 29, 2008 9:16:01 PM