Welcome to the Lanka Cricket Fan Page
From Nothing to the Best
The Sri Lankan cricket team is a national team representing Sri Lanka The team first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation. The Sri Lankan team transformed themselves from the Underdog status to a major cricketing nation during the 1990s. The team went on to take 1996 Cricket World Cup beating Australia in the finals, and becoming the World Champions. Since then, the team continued as a major force in international cricket, with ups and downs in certain periods. The Sri Lanka team did well to reach the finals of 2007 Cricket World Cup but lost to Australia in a rain affected match to become the runners up. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda De Silva(retired), backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralidharanand Chaminda Vaas among many other talented cricketers has led to the successes of Sri Lankan cricket during the last 15 years.
ICC Awards 2008
Emerging Player of the Year
Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's 23-year-old spin star, won the Emerging Player of the Year award. With his mesmerising brand of spin bowling, Mendis has exploded on to the international scene in recent months. In just three Tests against India in July and August, he claimed an amazing 26 wickets at an average of 18.38.
The Spirit Of Cricket award 2008
The Sri Lanka team were the recipients of the Spirit of Cricket Award for the second year running. The prize is presented to the team which, in the opinion of the elite panel of ICC umpires and match referees, has best conducted itself on the field within the spirit of the game.
The New Find Of Sri Lankan Cricket Ajantha Mendis.
Ajantha Mendis, the new spin star on the cricketing horizon, has earned the sobriquet 'Mystery Man' for the incredible variety of deliveries he bowls.
Born in March 1985, Mendis hails from a hamlet in Moratuwa. He is the third child in a family of five with an elder brother and a sister. He has had his basic education at St Anthony's College at Kadalana in his village where there were no facilities at all for sports.
Mendis is the author of a new delivery - the Carrom Ball. Since the Doosra, the Carrom Ball is the latest addition to the cricket lexicon.
To bowl a "carrom ball" in cricket, the ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger, and instead of a regular release, the ball is squeezed out/ flicked by the fingers like a Carrom player flicking the disc on a Carrom Board. It could result in an off-break, a leg-break, a googly or even a zooter.
