" Many are the times I have sat in the dressing room, watching Sanath Jayasuriya single-handedly win matches. However, without realising it, we reached the stage, at one point, where our whole confidence hinged on the rise and fall of Sanath. His early dismissal would sow seeds of doubt, and his continued presence in the middle would fuel confidence. We have succeeded now in breaking free of that dependence."
Sri Lankan cricketing icon Sanath Jayasuriya to face the embarrasment of hurled verbal abuse while fielding close to the boundary where some of these demonstrators had gathered outside and Jayasuriya's own remonstration had been made a big deal of by the local media.
Jayasuriya had every right to defend his integrity with a show of defiance himself while portraying his own loyalties to his motherland and giving them the veritable single finger salute and bravo to him and to hell with his critics!
No. 38
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
Test matches 107
Runs 6,791 at 40.42
Wickets 96 at 34.17
One of the greatest one-day players in the game, whose aggression in the opening overs of matches during the 1996 World Cup represented a serious development. For a small man, he is very powerful and his left-arm spin is underestimated. He has been a good foil for Muttiah Muralitharan.
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The list in full
50 Jamie Siddons
49 Darren Berry
48 Brian McMillan
47 Chris Cairns
46 Dilip Vengsarkar
45 Waqar Younis
44 Alec Stewart
43 Michael Atherton
42 Ravi Shastri
41 Justin Langer
40 Kapil Dev
39 Stuart MacGill
38 Sanath Jayasuriya
37 Stephen Harmison
36 Andy Flower
35 Michael Vaughan
34 Bruce Reid
33 Allan Donald
32 Robin Smith
31 Tim May
30 Kevin Pietersen
29 Shoaib Akhtar / Craig McDermott
28 Saeed Anwar / Mohammad Yousuf
27 Jacques Kallis / Shaun Pollock
26 Steve Waugh
25 Darren Lehmann
24 Brett Lee
23 Stephen Fleming
22 Martin Crowe
21 David Boon
20 Adam Gilchrist
19 Aravinda de Silva
18 Merv Hughes
17 Matthew Hayden
16 Andrew Flintoff
15 Graham Gooch
14 Rahul Dravid
13 Anil Kumble
12 Mark Waugh
11 Courtney Walsh
10 Ian Healy
9 Mark Taylor
8 Ricky Ponting
7 Muttiah Muralitharan
6 Wasim Akram
5 Glenn McGrath
4 Allan Border
3 Curtly Ambrose
2 Brian Lara
1 Sachin Tendulkar
Winning numbers
20 Australians in Warne’s favourite 50 (53 as it turned out). There are eight Englishmen, six Indians, five Pakistanis, four South Africans, three New Zealanders, three Sri Lankans, three West Indians and a Zimbabwean.
4,615 Test caps won by Warne’s elite, making an average of 87 each
18 Ashes winners for Australia
5 Ashes winners for England (Harmison, Vaughan, Pietersen, Flintoff and Gooch)
20 Members of a World Cup-winning squad. Three for India in 1983 (Vengsarkar, Shastri, Dev); six for Australia in 1987 (Reid, May, McDermott, S Waugh, Boon, Border); one for Pakistan in 1992 (Wasim Akram); three for Sri Lanka in 1996 (Jayasuriya, De Silva, Muralitharan) and seven for Australia in 1999, 2003 and/or 2007 (Lehmann, Lee, Gilchrist, McGrath, Hayden, Ponting and M Waugh).
Sanath Jayasuriya will not be remembered as a legend of the game, but he perhaps should be. There have been some notable retirements in recent times (Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Brian Lara to name just three) but the little opener from Matara deserves to be held in similar company.
He is of course still going strong in One Day Internationals (he signed off from Tests last December with a typically attacking half century) , so it is a little early for a career review. However, Jayasuriya's longevity (he made his international debut in 1989) earns special recognition, as his career does more than span eras; he helped start a whole new one in cricket.
Few will forget his impact at the 1996 world cup. Previously a lower order batsman and useful left arm spinner, he forged a devastating opening partnership with Romesh Kaluwitharana that revolutionised the way ODI cricket is played. Standard wisdom dictated openers should accumulate runs and keep wickets in hand for a late assault, but Sri Lanka's pinch hitters blazed away from the start, taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions that were in place during the opening overs.
This tactic became the batting blueprint in ODIs, although no one could carry out the plan as Jayasuriya has done. He is the second highest ever ODI runscorer and in consideration of his 307 wickets, is perhaps the greatest ever all rounder in the 50 over format. Three of the fastest ever ODI tons have come from his bat and his 17 ball half century against Pakistan in 1996 is the fastest ever 50. No one has hit more ODI sixes.
Jayasuriya managed to transfer this form into the Test arena. He is Sri Lanka's second highest Test runscorer and third highest wicket taker. He holds the seventh highest ever Test score and was a successful captain for four years, maintaining the progress Sri Lanka made under Arjuna Ranatunga.
Dropped after failing to reach 50 in 20 innings last year, he won back his place after lighting up the Indian Premier League (what a shane he will miss out on the Twenty20 era - the perfect batsman for the format). Only Geoffrey Boycott was older in scoring an ODI ton - what a contrast in styles ! - and we should enjoy Sanath while we still have him. No one will play his flicks, cuts and pulls with the same panache: a unique player with a unique style.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Oliver
No cricketer in recent times has revolutionised batting in the abbreviated form of the game more than Sanath Jayasuriya, the left-handed opener of World Cup champions Sri Lanka.
Jayasuriya with his lesser known partner Romesh Kaluwitharana are recognised as the trendsetters for getting the maximum runs in the first 15 overs.
Jayasuriya's exploits during the 1996 Wills World Cup, which played a major part in his country emerging champions have not gone unrecognised.
DOUBLE RECOGNITION
In fact it has earned him double recognition as one of the `Five Cricketers of the Year' in both the "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1997'', widely recognised as the cricketer's `Bible' and, "Indian Cricket 1996'', considered the `Wisden of the East'.
No Sri Lankan has had the honour of being picked for such honours by two prestigious publications in one single year - 1996.
It was the year when Jayasuriya with his blazing approach made a mockery of the first 15 overs of a limited overs game that an exasperated England captain Michael Atherton made the comment that the authorities should seriously consider reframing the rules.
SUBMISSION
Atherton's comments were made shortly after Jayasuriya had blasted his men into submission and out of the World Cup with a marvellous knock of 82 off 44 balls.
`Wisden' commented: "Jayasuriya's assault on England's bowling in the quarter-final at Faisalabad was authentic, aggressive batting without insult to the coaching manual''.
In picking Jayasuriya as one of its five cricketers, `Wisden' comments: "Sanath Jayasuriya cannot yet be classified as a great player which makes his influence in 1996 all the more remarkable. His World Cup exploits in an unexpected Sri Lankan triumph did not just assure him of a lasting place in the game's history, but promised - indeed, for a few heady weeks, insisted - that the course of the game would change forever. None of The Greats have ever achieved that''.
PINCH_HITTER
`Wisden' also notes that it was Jayasuriya's combustible stroke-play that saw the term `pinch-hitter' being stolen from baseball to define an opening batsman specifically given the licence to adopt a high-risk approach in the opening overs.
Jayasuriya is in the exalted company of Pakistanis Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Ahmed, Indian Sachin Tendulkar and West Indian Phil Simmons, who are the other cricketers of the year.
By picking Jayasuriya, the time-honoured publication stepped away from century old tradition to include a cricketer in its Hall of Fame who has not played a season of cricket in England.
"Jayasuriya's performances in the World Cup reverberated everywhere and earned him the right to be in our Hall of Fame'' wrote `Wisden' editor Matthew Engel.
THIRD
Jayasuriya is only the third Sri Lankan to be honoured by this world acclaimed almanack which is in its 134th year of publication. The others were Sidath Wettimuny (1985) and Aravinda de Silva (1996).
`Indian Cricket' described Jayasuriya's batting as "a curious mix of science, magic and madness, based on quickness of hand and eye, and a willingness to do what is pretty dangerous - and dirty - work''.
That Jayasuriya won the `Most Valuable Player' award was due to a handful of runs and wickets that were worth their weight in the World Cup for sheer timing.
"It is timing which is the very essence of one-day cricket - coming good on the day, at the hour, in the mere minutes which decides which way a match is going to swing. The award had an altogether different ring to it and required different credentials. For the world champions, Jayasuriya was the magic trump who turned up everytime the Lankans sought something inspirational'' said the annual.
SEVENTH
Jayasuriya is the seventh Sri Lankan to be honoured by `Indian Cricket' which is in its 50th year of publication.
Aravinda de Silva (1990), Ravi Ratnayeke (1987), Duleep Mendis (1983), Somachandra de Silva and David Heyn (both 1976), and Stanley Jayasinghe (1965) are those who have figured in the roll of honour previously.
From total obscurity to world fame is the rags to riches story of this vastly talented cricketer.
When Jayasuriya entered the Wills World Cup, he was just another ordinary member of the Sri Lankan team. His name could hardly match up to such mega stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Mark Waugh, Shane Waugh and the likes.
When the tournament unfolded and the matches started to take shape, there gradually emerged a new start on the horizon, but still he did not individually make a big impact because he was not scoring hundreds like the Mark Waughs and the Tendulkars. But what had everyone talking was the swiftness with which he was gathering his runs.
The manner in which Jayasuriya began smashing the bowlers to all parts of the field especially in the first 15 overs, brought about a new dimension to batting in one-day cricket.
When his little partner Romesh Kaluwitharana also started hitting the middle, pinch-hitting was its awesome best. The two carried the scoring rate to such dizzy heights that none of the other 11 teams in the competition could match. They could only watch in awe how these two wielders of the willow accumulated runs with such rapidity.
Although Kaluwitharana could not stay long to play a big innings like his partner, two of his partnerships with Jayasuriya put the contest beyond the opposition`s sights within the first seven overs.
Who could forget the opening stand of 53 in five overs against India at the Kotla grounds in Delhi or the 83 off 40 balls against Kenya in Kandy.
Jayasuriya raised batting standards in limited overs competitions to new heights with his phenomenal stroke play. His pugna- cious hitting in the first 15 overs gave the opposing captain many nightmares, especially as the fielding side was allowed only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle.
Jayasuriya exploited the one-day rule so much that an exasperated England captain Michael Atherton said after the blitzkrieg in Faisalabad, that the one-day rules should be reviewed and changes made, if necessary.
Atherton`s beleaguered Englishmen were smashed for 82 runs off 44 balls in the quarter-finals and the forlorn England captain went to the extent of admitting that Sri Lanka used their first 15 overs as their last.
The manner in which Jayasuriya was collecting his runs, batting records in one-day competitions were in danger of being sur- passed. It was only a matter of time before they were replaced by Jayasuriya`s name in the record books.
He was within hailing distance of the fastest one-day hundred against England when he just threw it away. But less than a month later Jaysuriya did get the record when he hit a spectacular 134 off 64 balls against Pakistan in the Singer Cup one-day triangu- lar in Singapore on Monday. He completed his century off just 48 balls and whilst reaching that milestone, he also achieved two other records for the most number of sixes - 11 and, for the most number of runs in one over - 29.
When Jaysuriya was adjudged the `Most Valuable Player` in the Wills World Cup, the purists may have vetoed the choice. His two breathtaking knocks against India (79 off 76 balls) and Eng- land (82 off 44 balls) by themselves could not have made him win the award. But the wicket of Tendulkar and two more victims (Manjrekar and Jadeja) with his left-arm spin and the two catches he took to compensate for his failure with the bat at Eden Gar- dens made certain that there was really no contest for the Audi car.
In terms of runs scored, Jayasuriya`s 212 may have sounded a lit- tle weak. But considering he scored those in 161 balls and that his runs had such a dramatic effect on the opposition so as to put the fright in them, he was in a league of his own.
Mark Waugh (472 runs) and Tendulkar (458) with all those runs in the preliminary league stage still failed to make the same impact that Jayasuriya made to win the award.
"He has batted well, fielded brilliantly, and when given the ball, has come up with crucial wickets. What else can I ask of a player?`` quipped Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga when Jayasuriya won the award.
"He has been our consistent player and I am happy one of our boys got the award, he deserves it. We knew that both he and Aravinda were in contention along with Tendulkar and Mark Waugh. It`s a great achievement by Sanath,`` said Ranatunga, who could consider himself fortunate to have a utility player in the mould of Jayasuriya in his team.
The World Cup since its inception in 1975 have seen some spectac- ular batting from left-handers like Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kalli- charan and to a lesser extent New Zealand`s Mark Greatbatch in 1992. The World Cups have been generally dominated by right-hand batsmen and right-arm bowlers. Jayasuriya is the fourth left- hander to play a vital role in his side`s success.
He may not be a patch of Lloyd and Kallicharan`s batsmanship. They did not fling the bat in a predetermined manner. More impor- tantly, Lloyd packed his strokes with power and Kallicharan caressed the ball. Jayasuriya is a compulsive swinger of the bat. He lives by his wits at the crease. But that`s the way he has hammered and perhaps infuriated bowlers.
"We don`t instruct our batsmen how to go about a task. They have played enough cricket to understand situations,`` was Ranatunga`s wry comment.
Jayasuriya`s great success story is how he became a consistent unconventional opener. There has been a complete transformation in Jayasuriya since the days in which he played the negative role of firing the ball into the rough from round the wicket in Test cricket and as a mere prop in the late middle-order.
From a bits-and-pieces man who did enough to warrant a place in the one-day team, what has made Jayasuriya`s career far more re- markable is that he has adjusted so well to the task of giving bowling the charge when the ball is new, the fielders are in and the adrenalin is flowing. He is today a far more confident person who is capable of believing that he can take on the best at their own game and match, or better them, for sheer aggression. Those qualities were in full display during the Wills World Cup and, now in Singapore.
Jayasuriya came to the World Cup with 1776 runs from 98 one- dayers at an average of 19.73 - nothing exceptional for a batsman who was to prove how valuable he is to his team ahead of cricket personalities like Tendulkar and Mark Waugh. But the 71 wickets just about reflected his all-round ability. He held Sri Lanka`s record for the highest individual innings in one-day cricket - 140 and the best bowling figures - 6 for 20. However, the batting record was taken away from him by Aravinda de Silva who scored 145 against Kenya at Kandy in the Wills World Cup game.
For all his brilliant and entertaining exploits in the middle, Jayasuriya was not a specialist opener and a devastating one at that. The shift to the opener`s slot came in the Hero Cup match against Zimbabwe at Patna in 1993-4. Jayasuriya made 23, 27 and 18 in his first three games in the new position with Mahanama as his partner.
However, he held the place only temporarily because he was once again shifted lower down the order on the tours to India and Sharjah that followed. It was not until the Pakistan tour to Sri Lanka in 1994-5 that Jayasuriya gained a permanency in the open- ing slot. Three consecutive half-centuries (77, 54 and 50) in the first three games revealed his potential.
Although Zimbabwe didn`t offer him much, the following tour to South Africa for the Mandela trophy saw him make a career best 140 in a rain-ruined game against New Zealand at Bloemfontein. Jayasuriya blasted six sixes and nine fours on his way to a 144- ball innings which was his first maiden one-day century. After a quiet start he destroyed the New Zealand attack and eclipsed the previous highest score by a Sri Lankan - 121 by Roy Dias against India at Bangalore in 1982-3.
Since playing in the company of Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Michael Atherton, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shane Thomson, Chris Cairns, Mark Ram- prakash, Narendra Hirwani, Aaqib Javed, Basit Ali, Mushtaq Ahmed, Venkatapathy Raju and our own Romesh Kaluwitharana in the 1989 World Youth Cup in Australia, Jayasuriya, a product of St. Serva- tius College, Matara has come a long way.
He went to Pakistan with the Sri Lanka `B` team and displayed his potential with back to back double centuries in the unofficial Test series against Pakistan `B`. It seemed an international career was cut out for him.
But the road to attaining that had not been easy. Jayasuriya may have shed a few hairs getting there, but there is no doubt about his batting, which is hair-raising.
Sanath’s new home, Trillium, is a marvel in planning and eco-friendliness, with over half the entire area dedicated to wide open spaces and lush green foliage. Redefining the concept of luxury living, Trillium provides some state-of-the-art recreational facilities offered by none other – a fine swimming pool for a refreshing dip, a club house to entertain in style, a well-equipped gym to keep in shape, a badminton court and jogging track to sweat it out, a rooftop garden to relax in, and a beautiful park for kids to frolic. What’s more, Trillium assures its residents total security and peace of mind. There is a split-level parking area and every other amenity necessary for convenient living, such as a day-care centre, convenience store/mini-market and laundry collection centre.
Trillium is a flagship project of Ceylinco Condominiums Ltd., a subsidiary of the reputed Ceylinco Housing and Real Estate Company Ltd., which has been at the forefront of the construction industry for almost 25 years. The project was created by the award-winning architects of Design Consortium Ltd.
Sanath certainly looks forward to a life of luxury and contentment as he spends quality time with his family at his new home at Trillium Residencies.
Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan batsman, has been signed by the Dolphins, the Kwa Zulu-Natal-based franchise, to play on the South African domestic circuit for two seasons.
The Dolphins have pulled off the biggest pre-season coup in South African cricket by negotiating a contract with Sri Lankan batting maestro Sanath Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya confirmed he had signed a contract with the Dolphins but refused to reveal his fee. "I'm bound by my contract not to make any statements about the financial side of the deal," Jayasuriya told South Africa's Daily News. "All I can say is that I will play for the Dolphins and help change things around over the next two seasons."
Jayasuriya, who will arrive in Durban with his family towards the end of October, said he was joining the team for a purpose. "I'm still part of the Sri Lankan one-day and the Twenty20 squads. Hence I am coming to Durban with a goal: I want to transform the Dolphins into a trophy-winning team. That's my aim."
In the Indian Premier League Jayasuriya was a huge hit. He scored 514 runs with a highest score of 114 not out (9x4s and 11x6s off 48 balls) against Chennai Super Kings. He averaged 42.83 in the competition and his strike-rate was a massive 166.34. He struck a total of 57 fours and 31 sixes in the 14 matches. The former Sri Lankan captain has played a record 421 one-day internationals for his country, 110 Tests and 28 Twenty20 Internationals.
Yashin Ebrahim, the Dolphins coach, said that signing Jayasuriya was a dream come true for the team. "He is still one of the best players in the shortened form of the game and he will no doubt add value to the Dolphins this season. The fact that we have not won a trophy for a few years motivated Sanath to make the trip to Durban. He said he loves challenges and would do his best to bring back the glory days and crowds to Sahara Stadium Kingsmead."
The Dolphins were placed fourth in the SuperSport Series, South Africa's four-day domestic tournament, fifth in the one-day championship, and were finalists in the Pro20.
It was an exit that brought to mind Mike Atherton's sheepish departure at The Oval in 2001. No-one knew for sure that this was his final innings in Test cricket, but the way Sanath Jayasuriya shyly saluted his standing ovation was telling in the extreme.
As he reached the rope after a pugnacious 78, he was met with a pat on the shoulder and a semi-embrace by the incoming batsman, Kumar Sangakkara, before Sri Lanka's uber-fan, Percy Abeysekera, chaperoned him to the pavilion steps beneath a giant national flag. The tongues had been set a-wagging and moments after the close came the confirmation we'd been expecting.
"This is the right time to retire," Jayasuriya confirmed. He had bowed out on this ground once before, against Pakistan in April 2006, when a nasty broken finger quite literally forced his hand. Though he reneged on that decision - with some success - in England later that year, this time, at the age of 38, there will be no coming back "There are some young guys coming up, and I wanted to go while on top," he said. "Life without cricket will be tough, but I will still be playing one-day cricket and contributing to the team."
On a day dominated by Muttiah Muralitharan, Jayasuriya signed off with a performance as full of fireworks as the hills around the ground that saluted his team-mate's world record. He fell short of his farewell century, but then Jayasuriya - possibly uniquely among specialist batsmen - has never relied on hundreds to get his point across. With forearms like pistons, he has bullied England's bowlers almost since the dawn of modern batsmanship. Spanking cameos have been his calling card, and rarely have they gone unnoticed.
The statistics tell you that Jayasuriya has been a fading force in Test match cricket - this was only his second half-century in 16 Tests stretching back to November 2004. The mind's eye tells you he was as dangerous in his final dig as he had been in his pomp, more than a decade ago, at the 1996 World Cup. James Anderson certainly won't forget the fury of his blade in a hurry - his fourth over was thrashed for six consecutive fours, only the third occasion that has been achieved in the history of Test cricket.
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