Gehan Dixon Mendis (born 24 April 1955) is a former cricketer who was an opening batsman for Sussex and Lancashire between 1974 and 1993. He was part of the Lancashire team that won the 1990 Benson & Hedges Cup and 1990 NatWest Trophy. Mendis scored over 21,000 runs in his first-class career.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gehan Dixon Mendis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 April 1955 Colombo, Ceylon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1985 | Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1993 | Lancashire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: CricketArchive, 15 March 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editAs a youngster, Mendis represented the Sussex Young Cricketers, England Schools Cricket Association, and National Association of Young Cricketers teams,[1][2] and in 1974, Mendis played for Bede College as they won the British Colleges National Knockout Cup.[3] He made his first-class debut for Sussex in a 1974 County Championship match against Worcestershire at the Central Recreation Ground, Hastings. Mendis made one run in the match.[4] In 1977, Mendis was part of a Sussex team that lost to Ireland at Pagham; Mendis scored 42 in the first innings of the match.[5][6] Mendis scored 1326 runs in the 1980 season, which was the first time that he had scored over 1000 runs in a season. During the season, Mendis scored two double centuries.[7][8] In addition, he was the top scorer in the 1980 Gillette Cup with 296 runs from 4 innings, including two centuries.[9] Mendis scored 119 against Glamorgan and 141 against Warwickshire, both at the County Ground.[10] As a result, he was named the Sussex Cricket Society Player of the Year for 1980.[11] In 1985, Mendis almost became the twelfth first-class cricketer to score five centuries in six innings; he was 96 not out when Sussex declared in a match against Hampshire.[12]
After 12 seasons with Sussex, Mendis joined Lancashire for the 1986 season.[1][12] During his time at Lancashire, Mendis frequently practised in the nets with Wasim Akram.[13] In 1988, Mendis carried the bat in a match against Glamorgan at St Helen's, Swansea; Mendis scored 65* in Lancashire's second innings total of 163.[14][15] In 1990, Mendis was part of the Lancashire team that won both the Benson & Hedges Cup and the NatWest Trophy.[16] He scored 180 runs in a match against Nottinghamshire at Southport.[17] The 1990 Natwest Trophy semi-final was played over three days, and Mendis batted throughout, scoring 121*, eventually receiving the man of the match award.[16][18] In 1993, Mendis was given a benefit year by Lancashire.[1]
Mendis also appeared in a 1989 match for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Scotland at Glenpark.[19]
Personal life
editMendis was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and his family emigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 12; as a result, he was eligible to play for either Sri Lanka or England, although he did not make international appearances for either.[1] As of 2015, he worked in Wilmslow, Cheshire as a teacher.[16] His nephew Alex Mendis has played for Sussex Second XI in the Second Eleven Championship between 2005 and 2006.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Janaka Malwatta". Cricinfo.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ Carnegie, Jim (September 2009). In a Different League: Cricket's North-South Divide. Matador. p. 276.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ Chambers, Barry. "Sussex caught Short". cricketeurope4.net. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ Perera, S.S. (1999). The Janashakthi Book of Sri Lanka Cricket, 1832–1996. Janashakthi Insurance. p. 388.
- ^ Manamendra, Renu (10 March 2004). "The Royal Thomian derby". Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "Sussex Cricket Society – Honours Board".
- ^ a b "Across Generations: Sri Lanka's Dream Team from County Cricket across the Ages". Critiquing Cricket.
- ^ "India has failed to guard its bowlers: Wasim Akram". 23 February 2016.
- ^ Martin Searby at Old Trafford (9 August 2002). "Division One: Swann carries his bat". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ a b c "Where are they now? Lancashire – NatWest Trophy and Benson & Hedges Cup winners 1990". The Cricket Paper.
- ^ Jamie Bowman (21 May 2015). "Lancashire in Southport: 56 years of cricketing thrills at Trafalgar Road". liverpoolecho.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".
- ^ "Mendis set to face Scotland". Herald Scotland.
- ^ "The Home of CricketArchive".