Sports.info Exclusive: 'He is been the player that change things...' - Former Sri Lanka cricketer names Kusal Mendis as the next big thing in cricket

The Sri Lanka team have improved the quality of cricket lately thanks to some classic batters, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and many more. Even though Sri Lanka lost the Test series against Australia, they won one game in England last year, which was historic. 

While speaking to Sports.info's reporter, former Sri Lanka player Marvan Atapattu named Kusal Mendis as the next big thing in cricket. "It is Kamindu Mendis as he is been the player that change things in the middle," said Atapattu.

The former player also mentioned about Nissanka and how he can improve his game in the future. Atapattu said, "Ofcourse, Pathum Nissanka is another fine talent. But what he needs to understand is potential. He has to sort of make the best use out of it. See, years go by very fast when you are a cricketer as you play so much. But at the end of the day you should not be regretting."

Australia dominated in the 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka, winning both games by huge margins. Sri Lanka had been quite impressive in their home ground, but the Australian batters wreaked havoc on both games. Steven Smith was super effective with the bat, scoring back-to-back centuries. Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja scored a double-century in the first game. Hence, Australia whitewashed the Test series and will move on to the ODI series. 

The spinners went to work: Steve Smith

Steve Smith won the Player of the Series award for his terrific performance. His splendid batting throughout the series was one of the reasons why Australia were successful enough to dominate Sri Lanka in their own backyard. Smith praised his teammate for his performance in the series. 

"We played really well from the outset. The way the batters were able to adapt was outstanding. All of our bowlers did a terrific job, Mitchell Starc included. And the spinners went to work. We had a really good training camp in Dubai before coming here," said Steve Smith.