Kusal Mendis aiming to tire England pacers

Although a series victory is well beyond the Sri Lankans now, Kusal Mendis is brimming with optimism prior to the start of the third Test match at Lords. While the Lankan batsmen have been falling like nine-pins to the pace and swing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Kusal Mendis, the youngest man in the top order has been making ripples with some fantastic batting.
Mendis shined with the only Sri Lankan half-century at Headingley and made decent starts at Chester-le-Street. These performances have seen the Lankans willing to give him an extended spell at the no.3 position Mendis has held for some time now in the Test match setup.
Mendis added that his strategy was to tire the bowlers, play the patient game and take the rewards at the end, after weathering the storm.
“We have realised that the key is to let the England bowlers go for more spells,” Mendis said. “We will have a few plans and it’s only natural that a bowler when he bowls fourth or fifth spell, he will leak runs. If we can bat for longer, we will be able to achieve our targets more easily. We have had about five very good days of training leading up to the Lord’s Test. We will talk about all these areas.”
“England tried out a few things in the second Test and I realised that,” Mendis said. “I know what’s coming at Lord’s. They will deny me any runs on the leg side. That’s the challenge. The coach and captain had a chat with me and we will come up with some counter moves where I will try and score on the off side.”
“My father was the biggest strength for my cricket. Other than that, a lot of coaches and many other individuals have helped me. I get a lot of support from my captain, vice-captain, coach and the management. Even though I’m the youngest member of the team, they don’t treat me any differently. Whether I’m doing well or have a bad game I feel that support.”
“My biggest ambition was representing my country. I was thrilled when I made my Test debut against West Indies last year. Then I toured New Zealand and now I am here. I hope I will stay in the team for a long time.”