Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis retires from all forms of cricket

The 34-year-old played his last game for his country in December 2015 in an ODI against New Zealand

Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis has announced his retirement from all forms of the game.

The 34-year-old, who was best known for his deceptive "carrom balls", played 19 Tests, 87 ODIs and 39 T20Is for his country and picked up 288 wickets in the process.

Mendis first announced himself during the 2008 Asia Cup when he picked up figures of 6-13 in the final against India in Karachi to seal a 100-run win and the trophy for Sri Lanka.

That calendar year saw him take 48 wickets in 18 games - 15 ahead of the next best that year (Muttiah Muralitharan with 38 scalps), and a Test debut against the same side followed shortly afterwards in the same month.

It proved to be a series that was equally as fruitful as he took 26 wickets in three games, including eight wickets on his debut, as Sri Lanka recorded a 2-1 win win. 

The record holder for best figures in a T20I, with 6-8 against Zimbabwe in September 2012, and the only man to have ever taken two six-fers in T20Is, the other one (6-16) coming against Australia in 2011, Mendis' numbers dwindled as the years went on due to injury and batsmen finding a way to counter the new dimension he had brought to spin bowling.

However, his success in the early years of his career did see him seal a 2011 World Cup spot, where he picked up seven wickets in five innings.

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