Kusal Mendis will play in his 115th ODI on Monday when Sri Lanka take on Australia.© AFP
Sri Lanka’s new captain Kusal Mendis on Sunday vowed to overcome the “personal weakness” that saw him hospitalized during the Cricket World Cup. Mendis is his country’s marathon man and made 76 and 122 in the two defeats against South Africa and Pakistan. The 28-year-old is also the team’s wicketkeeper and is now the captain after Dusan Shanaka’s injury sidelined him for the remainder of the tournament. Mendis’ efforts have taken their toll. He required hospital treatment after suffering from cramps during his long stay in the crease before Pakistan chased down 344 to beat them in Hyderabad last week.
“The intense heat during every match here was a challenge. I really regret getting cramps after my batting,” Mendis said on Sunday.
I believe that if I could have stepped up, we might have achieved more. It’s a personal weakness I didn’t expect.
“I believe it was a result of overexertion. I will take steps to ensure this does not happen again in the future.”
Mendis will play Australia in his 115th ODI on Monday as both teams look for their first win of the tournament.
Sri Lanka has had no problems scoring runs: 326 against South Africa and 344 in the match against Pakistan.
Unfortunately for the 1996 champions, they conceded a World Cup record 428 to the Proteas, while Pakistan’s attempt to win by six wickets was the highest successful chase in tournament history.
“Australia have lost two games, and we have also had two defeats in our recent games,” Mendis added.
“I see this as a positive situation. Taking into account the two defeats we have had, we are performing at a commendable level.
“I think we are better than them as a hitting unit.”
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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