Trevor Bayliss talks tough on Sanath Jayasuriya's prospects

Trevor Bayliss: 'As Sanath Jayasuriya has himself said on record, he is a spinning allrounder now.'

Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, has said Sanath Jayasuriya is unlikely to be picked as a specialist opener and will have to force his way in as a spinning allrounder if he is to play the 2011 World Cup.

"As Jayasuriya has himself said on record, he is a spinning allrounder now," Bayliss said. "If he keeps performing and putting pressure on others, he can always get in. It's up to him and what pressure he can put on the others in the team."

Jayasuriya didn't make the cut for the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh, beginning Monday, and in a recent interview to Cricinfo, he said the team management should send a clear message to him about his future.

"The biggest challenge is to play the 2011 World Cup," Jayasuriya said. "Obviously if the team management wants to send me a message they should be clear about that to me, as they have been in the past.

"I am only thinking of five ODIs at a time, and if I can perform in three out those five, I'm right on track for the next World Cup."

The re-emergence of opener Upul Tharanga, it appears, has helped Sri Lanka firm up their plans for the World Cup. "Tharanga has played really well in the last series against India," Bayliss said. "His and Dilshan's opening partnership looks good for the World Cup."

Like Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene too, hasn't been in great form in the ODIs, but Bayliss said it wasn't a big concern to the team as it perhaps was to Mahela himself.

"It's a concern to Mahela and he himself would acknowledge that he has not been scoring much runs in ODIs," Bayliss said. "But he is too good a player to miss out for long. Our top three have been doing well and so perhaps there has not been enough chances for Mahela to score. But, he is not here in this series because of an injury he picked up in India; he might make an appearance some time later on the tour."

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Jayasuriya turns 40, eyes next World Cup

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya turns 40 on Tuesday, with a vow to carry on until the 2011 World Cup despite his being the oldest cricketer still playing at the top level.

"Age is not a problem, it is how you stay mentally and physically fit to remain on top of the game, to try out new variations in the bat and ball," Jayasuriya said.

The dashing batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, made his international debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1989 and won praise as an all-rounder during Sri Lanka's victorious World Cup campaign in 1996.

Jayasuriya is only the second batsman after India's Sachin Tendulkar to pass 13,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. He is also the oldest batsman to score a one-day century, at 39 years and 212 days.

"I don't really worry about records anymore these days," the left-hander said. "I focus on putting runs on the board, to help the team win matches."

Jayasuriya retired from Test matches in 2007, but continues to shine in the physically challenging shorter version of the game, determined to prove he has a few more miles left on the clock.

The short but powerfully-built batsman is virtually unstoppable when on song, and scored freely during the recent World Twenty20 in England where Sri Lanka won six successive matches before losing to Pakistan in the final.

Jayasuriya said the emergence of talented young players meant he could never take his place for granted in the national team.

"Playing with youngsters is extra hard these days," said the all-rounder who led Sri Lanka from 1999 to April 2003.

"There is an abundance of raw talent constantly knocking at the door for a berth in the team. And that puts pressure on me. I have to perform to retain my place."

However, he added, life is not easy for younger players, either.

"They also need to live up to expectations, sometimes the pressure on them is much more than what it was when I was starting out," he said.

Jayasuriya announced his retirement in 2006, but made a comeback during Sri Lanka's tour of England that year.

Now he does not talk of quitting and Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara said he has left the decision with Jayasuriya.

"Sanath is a match winner and as long as he's fit and willing to play for us, we are happy to have him in the side," said Sangakkara.

"He has won us a lot of matches and I am sure he will win a lot of games as well for us in the future."

Asked if he will play the World Cup to be held in the sub-continent in 2011, Jayasuriya said: "I would love to. I am taking each series at a time. Hopefully I will get there."

His next outing will be against World Twenty20 champions Pakistan, who will play five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 game after the three-Test series that starts in Sri Lanka on July 4.

"Pakistan has variety in batting and bowling and we are also working on a few things. Let's see, it should be an interesting contest," said Jayasuriya.

Source : TOI

Sangakkara backs Sanath Jayasuriya for World Cup 2011

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has backed veteran Sanath Jayasuriya to feature at the next World Cup.

Jayasuriya, 40 later this month, crashed himself back into form ahead of the Super Eight clash against Pakistan at Lord's, with 81 from just 47 balls against West Indies.

Having arrived at this tournament in poor form, it was a perfectly-timed return to prominence for the explosive left-hander.

Jayasuriya retired from international cricket in 2006 but almost immediately reneged on that decision and his worth is still acknowledged by his colleagues 20 years after his debut.

"We have a World Cup coming up in 2011, so the decision is ultimately his," Sangakkara said.

"We are just happy to have him because he has won a lot of games for us, and I strongly believe he is going to win a lot more. Can he make the World Cup? Why not.

"He can keep going as long as he is fit. In Sri Lanka we are trying to move away from talking too much about age and potential and moving more towards about performance.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, in my view. If you are fit, scoring the runs and taking the wickets and doing the work at training, those are the people that are key when it comes to building a side.

"Because they can be a great example for youngsters coming in or even watching the game.

"They see how well these guys prepare and how much hard work goes into becoming a good player."

Jayasuriya struggled in the warm-up matches and was not at his ferocious best in the second season of the Indian Premier League, so his innings of 10 fours and three sixes, was well received by the Sri Lankans.

"As a unit we have never had any questions about what Sanath can do," Sangakkara added.

"We have seen it for years and we were just waiting until he worked his way into the tournament.

"It was great for his confidence, and for that of the team in general, that he got the runs he did.

"The manner in which he got them was very encouraging: we want him to feel comfortable and not worry about having to do anything special other than just be himself and be a part of our side.

"We want him there, we think he's a matchwinner and as long as he is fit and willing to play for us, we are happy to have him."

Sri Lanka face Pakistan for the first time since being targets in the Lahore terror attacks in March.