Left or Right, It's All the Same for Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis

Cricketnext Staff | Updated: October 27, 2018, 8:22 PM IST

He bowls with his left, he bowls with his right! The 20-year-old ambidextrous spinner Kamindu Mendis made his international debut for Sri Lanka against England in the solitary Twenty20 International in Colombo on Saturday (October 27). Mendis can bowl offbreaks in addition to slow left-arm spin - the latter being marginally his stronger suit.

He caught everyone's eye in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup where he scalped five wickets in six games and also scored 156 runs. He recently turned up for the Sri Lanka Board XI in a warm-up game against England, where he started with offspin against left-handed Eoin Morgan, and then switched to left-arm spin when Joe Root came on strike.

There are quite a few ambidextrous bowlers in world cricket at the moment. In India, there's Akshay Karnewar who plays for Vidarbha in the domestic circuit. Then there's Pakistan's ambidextrous pacer Yasir Jan, who has been provided with 10-year development contract by Lahore Qalanders. Female cricketers - Australia's Jemma Barsby and Bangladesh's Shaila Sharmin - have the same skills.

Pakistan batsman Hanif Mohammad, former England captain Graham Gooch and Sri Lanka's Hashan Tillakaratne (in the 1996 World Cup) are few of the other players who have bowled with both arms in the past.

According to the rule, these bowlers can switch as many times they want, but only after informing the umpire.