The manner the trainer of cricket coaches Lionel Mendis bid adieu

One of the greatest cricket coaches in Sri Lanka the famous Lionel Mendis who had helped many cricketers to become legendary cricketers bids adieu today.

Legendary cricket coach Lionel Mendis who was ailing for some time had expired on the 08th instant and his final rites were conducted at the Borella Kanatte attended by a distinguished gathering mostly past cricketers who were groomed by him.

Lionel Mendis was born in the year 1935 and was educated at Dharmasoka Vidyalaya  in  Ambalangoda. Then he had switched over to Richmond College Galle and had been a teacher and an Army officer.

Late Lionel Mendis had joined as the cricket Coach of Ananda College ,Colombo in the year 1973.This was the beginning of his cricket coaching career.In the year 1982 he had opened the Lionel Mendis cricket coaching academy at the NCC grounds.He was instrumental in introducing a number of budding youngsters to play cricket. Among those who trained to be Sri Lankan cricketers were Arjuna Ranatunga,Dhammika Ranatunga  Brendon Kuruppu,Charith Senanayake,Nishantha Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama ,Sanjeewa Ranatunga,Dulip Samaraweera,Mahela Jayawardena,Kumar Dharmasena,Sajeewa Weerasinghe,Niroshan Bandaratillake,Avishka Gunawardena,Tilan Samaraweera,Nivard Nawaz.Jehan Mubarak,Hemantha Botheju and a number of others.