Jayasuriya takes oath in Sri Lankan Parliament

Apr 22, Colombo (Sanath Jayasuriya Blogspot): The newest members of the parliament, veteran cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, Namal Rajapaksa, and Prof. Rajiva Wijesinghe took oaths along with the seasoned members at the first session of the 7th Parliament.

(Pictures by Nalin Hewapathirana and Chandana Perera)

Sachin will be tempted to play Jayasuriya

With the semi-final line up ready, it boils down to have one bad game to crash out of the tournament and the team that overcomes the fear of failure, will end on the winning side. Bangalore and Mumbai have had chequered fortunes leading into the semi-finals. While Mumbai have been consistent and surging ahead riding on the supreme form of Sachin Tendulkar with the bat, same does apply in case of others From a Mumbai Indian standpoint, the inexperience in the middle order and the fickle form of JP Duminy and Keiron Pollard will give aggravate the anxiety of skipper Tendulkar, while Shikhar Dhawan has thorn his wicket after getting decent starts.

Skipper Tendulkar might just be tempted to unleash Sanath Jayasuriya, apart from winning the match single-handedly on his day; he also offers slow left arm spin to make scoring difficult for the batsman. A good tight spell in the middle overs might just be the difference between winning and loosing, given his vast experience at the international level.

Hope playing in Mumbai will work to our advantage- Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

After two seasons of underperforming, we were all determined to reach the semifinals of IPL 3. All the hard work and commitment has paid off and now we have a chance to go all the way. During the past few weeks we’ve played some topclass cricket and no one can deny that we deserve to be in the top four. We are really confident and we believe we have what it takes to beat Bangalore on Wednesday evening.

It’s important for us now to enjoy ourselves. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to play several big semi-finals and finals for Sri Lanka and we’ve always believed that we need to have fun. There is no point in putting pressure on ourselves. We need to express ourselves fully and play our natural game.

There is so much talent in this Mumbai Indians team and we need to trust ourselves, and each other, to perform.One other reason we have to be confident is our team spirit and unity. Unlike some franchises who have struggled to gel this season, we are like a family.

Everyone is committed to the team. That is very important. This is something that has been strength of Sri Lanka for a long time. It is one of reasons why we have often beaten higher profile teams. If you are all pulling in one direction and if you are all crystal clear about your team role, winning is easier. Our confidence, however, should not allow us to be complacent. Bangalore are a very strong side with some extremely dangerous players within their ranks and we will need to be at our very best.

Hopefully, the change in venue will work to our advantage. They’ll be disappointed to not be playing at home as expected on a pitch tailor-made for their attack and in front of a boisterous home crowd. History suggests that we can expect an excellent pitch with possibly some spin. I am sure the batsmen will be able to play their strokes and we should be in for an entertaining contest.

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

I’m keen to mark my return with big score - Jayasuriya | Mauler's Notes IPL 2010

OUR Sunday night win against Rajasthan has all but guaranteed our place in the semi-finals, but this Twenty20 format is all about momentum. We are determined to keep winning so we are in the best shape possible come next week’s knock-out phase.

Nevertheless we can allow ourselves some satisfaction for a job well done so far. After two disappointing years we’ve really bounced back this year and played some topclass cricket. We’ve played as a unit and all three facets of the game have gelled.

Having put together a good total, our bowlers have been the best in the tournament. Against Rajasthan we were really clinical. The fast bowlers were terrific up front, especially Zaheer in his first spell. The fielding was also good with catches sticking and a couple of run outs.

On a personal note it was really disappointing to not get a start against Rajasthan. I had been really looking forward to getting a chance back in the playing XI and I was desperate to mark my return with a big score. Hopefully, if I play, that score will come on Tuesday. If we play to our potential, we’ll be difficult to beat at home.

 

- SANATH JAYASURIYA

Jayasuriya back in the Mumbai Indians' squad

Jayasuriya wins Parliamentary Elections from Matara

According to the results declared by the Department of elections, Srilanka - Sanath Jayasuriya has won the parliamentary general election under the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from his native Matara district.

Earlier Sanath Jayasuriya was allowed to cast his vote a day before as he had IPL commitments in India.

More report to follow..

Jayasuriya casts his vote a day ahead of elections

Apr 07, Matara: Sri Lanka cricketer and ruling party candidate for Matara District, Sanath Jayasuriya cast his vote for the General Elections in Matara today (7) after receiving special permission from the Elections Commissioner.

He cast his vote a day before the general election, as he has to travel overseas to participate in the IPL cricket tournament.

Jayasuriya cast a postal vote at the Matara District Secretary's office. Under Clause 20C of the Parliamentary Elections Act, the vote would be considered a postal vote.

Sanath Jayasuriya Sports Development Fund launched by President Rajapaksa

Apr 01, Matara: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday launched a sports development fund in honor of Sri Lanka's legendary batsman and ruling party candidate for Matara, cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya.

Launching the Sanath Jayasuriya Sports Development Fund at a ceremony Matara Sanath Jayasuriya Ground yesterday, the President said it is intended for the welfare of the youth in the country.

The President said the government has focused on the universities, technical colleges, and vocational training institutes which will assist to mould a future generation of youth who can fit into any role in the world. He promised to create a strong future generation with the development of the country.

At the meeting the chief organizer for the opposition UNP party in Hakmana, Indika Jayathunga crossed over to the ruling UPFA and pledged to support the government's development plan.

Cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya and Minister Dullas Alahapperuma were also present at the event.

Sanath Jayasuriya to play in Sri Lanka's historic maiden tour of USA

Sri Lanka's Daily News confirmed today that Sri Lanka will play a series of Twenty20 Internationals after the World Cup.

"After the World Cup in the Caribbean the Sri Lankan team will also play a series of Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand and the United States of America during their historic maiden cricket tour to the USA," the newspaper wrote.

Daily News also noted that 40-year old Sanath Jayasuriya and 20-year old Dinesh Chandimal would both be part of the squad for the World Cup in the Caribbean and the tour of USA following that.

The full Sri Lanka squad is as follows - Kumar Sangakkara, Muthiah Muralidharan, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardana, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welagedara, Chamara Kapugedara, Sanath Jayasuriya and Chinthaka Jayasinghe.

This latest news report follows last week's report from Pakistan's The Nation, in which Nabeel Ahmed, USACA First VP, was quoted as saying: “Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) - have agreed to send their teams immediately after the ICC Twenty20 final (in Barbados on May 16).”

Although the exact schedule is not yet known, the timing of the matches following the ICC Twenty20 final would be perfect from a logistical perspective.

“The weather condition in Florida is same as in West Indies and two teams playing here will not find any problem as Florida is only one and half hour flying away from West Indies,” Nabeel Ahmed told The Nation.

New Zealand has just finished their tour of Australia and look to get some rest before reassembling on April 18th for a training camp prior to departing for the Caribbean. The following Black Caps squad for the World T20 was announced yesterday: Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Aaron Redmond, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

In his 'Message from the CEO' dated March 5th, Justin Vaughan, CEO of New Zealand Cricket wrote: "We are pushing ahead with plans for a T20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka to be held in Florida in May. If successful, it would be the first time two full ICC members will have met in an official match on US soil and it follows the agreement of a strategic partnership between NZC and the USA Cricket Association."

Jayasuriya selected for ICC World Twenty20 2010

Dashing top-order batsman Sanath Jayasuriya has been included in Sri Lanka's 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

The 40-year-old Jayasuriya is a surprise inclusion in the side which also features promising wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal and all-rounder Thissara Perera.

Jayasuriya last played a Twenty20 International against India in December, but has struggled to seal his spot with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Jayasuriya featured in the first three matches for the Indians in the IPL before being dropped.

Sri Lanka's selectors have, however, overlooked middle-order batsman Jeevantha Kulatunga - a late addition to the list of probables - as well as opening batsman Upul Tharanga.

Runners-up in the last edition of the World Twenty20, Sri Lanka are drawn in Group B along with New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
They take on New Zealand in the inaugural match of the tournament on April 30.

Sri Lanka squad for World Twenty20: K Sangakkara, T Dilshan, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene, D Chandimal, C Kapugedera, A Mathews, C Jayasinghe, T Perera, M Muralitharan, A Mendis, S Randiv, L Malinga, C Welegedera, N Kulasekera.