Peoples Sportsperson of the year 2011 - Sanath Jayasuriya

Master Blaster Sanath Jayasuriya recently won the ' Peoples Sportsperson of the year 2011 ' award.


Nominated Names:

1.Sanath Jayasuriya
2.Kumar Sangakkara
3.Muttiah Muraitharan
4.T M Dilshan
5.Susanthika Jayasinghe


Winner : Sanath Jayasuriya


For more details click on Peoples awards official website and Nielsen Official website release.

Jayasuriya, Murali among greatest - Clive Lloyd

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has named two Sri Lankan veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan as candidates to form the greatest One Day International team of all time.

Dashing left hander Jayasuriya and legendary off spinner Muralitharan both members of the 30 members World Cup squad are slotted in the opening and spin category respectively to form the greatest One Day International team of all time.

The other Sri Lankan players who are included in the list of players are Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Chaminda Vaas.

The International Cricket Council's official website is asking supporters from across the globe to select their choice of the greatest One Day International match and team of all-time to mark the 40th anniversary of ODI cricket.

In his Greatest ODI Team of All Time, Lloyd believed quite a few West Indies players would make the cut. "Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall, would be some of the contenders for sure."

Lloyd named some of the candidates for the team: Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralidaran, Daniel Vettori, Sanath Jayasuriya, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Javed Miandad, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram. "I would love to lead a side like this. It will be dream come true. If I cannot lead, then there is no one better than Imran Khan for the job,"

As ODI cricket celebrates its 40th anniversary in January 2011, Lloyd went down memory lane about his side which is rated the best ever in cricket history.

"I think the approach we had, showed the way. We played quite a few shots and enjoyed our cricket. I am sure some of the teams picked it up from there. Sri Lanka certainly did with Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana in 1996.

'It was our thinking that shots must be played and the paying public must be entertained. That is the reason the crowds enjoy watching one-day cricket," said Lloyd.

Lloyd acknowledged that one-day cricket has changed quite a lot since his time at least in terms of batting.

"At least now they are playing a lot more shots. Now they innovate a lot. You have the Dilscooop, the reverse sweep, slog sweep and a lot more. That's what crowds want, entertainment. All this makes one-day cricket exciting," added Lloyd.

Lloyd calls one-day cricket the greatest innovation for the sport.

He was part of the early years of the format in the 1960s in England when it was played on Sunday afternoons between a select side called International Cavaliers and retired and current county cricketers.

"Whoever thought this format up deserves credit. As the craze grew everybody realised it was a bonanza. It started off as a 40-over game, went to 60 overs and we even played 55 overs a side in county cricket. It (ODIs) has improved the standards of fielding, raised tactical awareness and also brought in innovation."

Lloyd was also part of the other key moment in history when World Series Cricket (WSC) brought in new things like day-night cricket, white ball and coloured clothing in the late 1970s. "We have to thank Kerry Packer for these things.

He was instrumental for that. We owe him a great debt of gratitude," said Lloyd.

So dominant was Lloyd's side in that era that it made the final of the first three ICC Cricket World Cups with absolute ease and even won two of those editions (1975, 1979).

Life without Murali, Jayasuriya and Vaas

Sri Lankan cricket is bracing itself for life without three of its greatest ever players.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan retired from Test cricket after taking his 800th wicket in a victory over India, while Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas - who have already ended their Test careers - are on the verge of bowing out of international cricket for good.

These three veterans, along with Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, were responsible for transforming Sri Lankan cricket.

Their collective performance brought an unexpected victory at the 1996 World Cup and persuaded the established powers to arrange extended Test tours in Sri Lanka.
In particular it was Murali, under Ranatunga's captaincy, who led the evolution from underdog to formidable cricketing force.

"I think Sri Lanka will be extremely lucky if it gets another Muralitharan within the next 100 years," Ranatunga told the BBC.

Kent spinner Malinga Bandara agrees, saying: "I think Murali's achievements with bowling are equal to Sir Donald Bradman's remarkable achievements from the bat."

Sanath Jayasurya, meanwhile, has harvested his natural talents with bat and ball.

"I think Jayasuriya is a natural player, both batting and bowling, who actually does not need any coaching," said Champaka Ramanyake, Sri Lanka's bowling coach.

Nicknamed "Master Blaster", Jayasuriya was instrumental in introducing an aggressive batting style - together with Romesh Kaluwitharana - as the opening batsman. His unpredictable batting helped Sri Lanka to win the World Cup and made him player of the tournament.

"There have been occasions that fans left the ground when they learnt that Jayasuriya was not playing," said Ramanyake.

Rating Vaas as the best-ever fast bowler Sri Lanka has produced, Ramanyake believes his contribution has been key to Murali's record success.

"In cricket we talk about pairs. Since 1996, it was Vaas who supported Murali from the other end, while Murali was taking wickets," said the bowling coach.
Vaas also contributed with his patient batting style.

"I think Vaas, with his overall performance, was unlucky not to be appointed as a captain. That is what happens when you are surrounded by a very talented group," said Channaka de Silva, sports editor of the Daily Mirror English.

The trio may yet be re-united, for the last time, at the 2011 World Cup, which will be hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

Both Murali and Jayasuriya are still members of the national team for the shorter version of the game, while Vaas faces an uphill battle despite his good form for Northamptonshire.

"I have been knocking on the door to get back to the ODI team but the selectors have been coming up with different excuses," Vaas told the BBC Sinhala service.

Beyond that tournament, how will Sri Lanka cope without the presence of three legends in the dressing room?

"I think Sri Lanka won't notice a huge impact in the short term," says de Silva.
"Australia, for example, went through a downward tendency long after the departure of many senior players," he said.

Mahela Jayawardene's 10th Test hundred at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Tuesday may be a clear example of the team's new direction.

"The game won't disappear just because players retire," says Ramanayake. "But of course we may not see similar records and performance in the near future."

While Sangakkara and Jayawardene may feel the absence of three veterans in the dressing room, the younger generation will be assigned with the difficult task of carrying on.

For the moment, though, it seems it is business as usual for the Sri Lanka squad.

I owe my good captaincy record to Murali - Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya - Former Lankan skipper pays rich tributes to his retiring mate

Sanath Jayasuriya, accompanied by his son Ranuka, share a light moment with Muttiah Muralitharan during a Sports Ministry event in Colombo on January 2, 2010. President Rajapaksa presented tokens of appreciation to Jayasuriya for having completed 20 years in the international arena. Muralitharan was feted for his world records, while retired sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was honoured for her silver medal at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney.

Their careers overlapped for the most part, the marauding batsmanship of the one complemented beautifully by the cunning and guile of the other during the golden era of Sri Lankan cricket.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan share a wonderful relationship, one born out of mutual admiration and respect, as well as both individuals’ desire to be the best in their chosen vocations.

The 41-year-old Jayasuriya recently completed 20 years in international cricket and is still available for limited-overs duties. Three days from now, Muralitharan, 38, will bid adieu to Test cricket but will keep his options open so far as the one-day format is concerned, with an eye on the World Cup in the sub-continent early next year.

Both men were crucial cogs in the wheel during Sri Lanka’s triumphant march to the 1996 World Cup, and once Jayasuriya took over the captaincy at the turn of the millennium, Muralitharan played a key role in the former’s successful stint at the helm.

Under Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka won 18 of their 38 Tests. Muralitharan played in 17 of those triumphs, and played a significant part, too. In all, 35 Tests under Jayasuriya brought Muralitharan an astonishing 230 wickets at 20.22, well below his career average of 22.71, with 20 five-wicket innings hauls and nine ten-wicket match collections.

“I have a good record as a Sri Lankan captain, and the main reason for that, I think, is that I was fortunate that Murali was at his peak during the four years I captained the side,” said the former skipper, now a television expert, among other things, as he bides his time hoping for a recall to the one-day set-up.

“Murali is a great character,” he went on, his eyes twinkling with admiration. “There’s never a dull moment when he’s around. He’ll keep all of us going, cracking jokes and giving insights on basically anything. He’s also very positive, hardly gets into a negative mentality and basically it’s fun when he’s around. He’s a very genuine guy as well, and the work he did after the tsunami has been very much appreciated by everyone.”

Jayasuriya was serving apprentice under Arjuna Ranatunga when Muralitharan was called in Australia for chucking in 1998. It is no secret that Ranatunga took on the establishment and steadfastly stood by his star bowler. Jayasuriya provided a ringside insight into those difficult days. “Murali owes a lot to Arjuna for the way he defended him, and he’s been grateful to Arjuna ever since,” Jayasuriya observed. “When he was called for throwing in 1998 in Australia, I was the vice-captain of the side. Some of the measures Arjuna took to defend him will be hard to match.”

Reflecting on his time alongside Muralitharan in the national team, the towering left-hander said, “Our careers ran parallel. The hard times and the good times we went through together… Going on to win the World Cup in 1996 was the pinnacle.

“I also remember the Oval Test with great fondness, when we beat England in England for the first time,” Jayasuriya reminisced. “We both played a crucial part in our team’s success. Murali got 16 wickets in that Test, and I got a double hundred. That victory is a very special moment along with winning the World Cup.”


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Sanath Jayasuriya at IIFA Charity Cricket Match 2010

Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty, left, and Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan chats as Sanath jayasuriya looks on during a charity cricket match between IFFA XI and Sangakkara's XI as part of the three-day long International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 4, 2010. Some of India's top movie stars converged in Sri Lanka on Thursday for Bollywood's annual roadshow despite calls to boycott the event because of the alleged killing of Tamil civilians during the final stages of the country's decades-long civil war.

[VIDEO] Sanath Jayasuriya honored by President Mahinda Rajapaksha | Recieves Golden Award

For details Click on This report published earlier with Images

- Sanath Jayasuriya, Muralitharan honoured

Sri Lanka President honors Jayasuriya, Murali & Susanthika

President Rajapaksa presents Gold Memento worth nearly Rs. One million to Sanath Jayasuriya

Jan 02, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today honored three outstanding athletes of the country in a ceremony held at the Temple Trees.

President Rajapaksa presented awards to Sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe and cricket legends Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan for their exemplary contribution to the country.

Susanthika Jayasinghe, 34, is the only Sri Lankan athlete to win an Olympic medal. She won a bronze in women's 200m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but later awarded the silver after Marion Jones was stripped off the gold medal due to drug use.

Sanath Jayasuriya, 40, was honored for his 20 years of dedication to cricket since his debut on Dec 26, 1989 against Australia. He was part of the World Cup winning team in 1996.

Muttiah Muralitharan, 37, is the world's highest wicket taker in both Test cricket and One-Day Internationals. He has been playing since 1992.

(Source)

President to felicitate Sanath, Murali and Susanthika

Three sports stars who have brought honour and fame to the country with their stupendous performances on the sports field-sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe and cricketing legends Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan will be felicitated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a ceremony at the Sports Development Department, Torrington Square at 9 a.m. today.

President Rajapaksa will present Gold Mementos each worth nearly Rs. One million to the three sporting legends for their achievements on the sporting field.

The President who was the head of the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka in 1997 and 1998 gave all the support and encouragement to the Sri Lankan athletes and in August 1997 Susanthika bagged a Silver Medal in the IAAF World Championships in the 200 metres event in Athens, Greece.

Three years later Susanthika did Sri Lanka proud by winning a bronze medal in the 200 metres event at the Sydney Olympics - only the second Sri Lankan to do so after Duncan White won a Silver Medal in the 110 metres hurdles event at the 1948 London Olympics.

Last month the International Amateur Athletic Federation decided to award Susanthika the Silver Medal after Marion Jones’ Gold Medal was withdrawn after she was found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs.

Cricketing legend Sanath Jayasuriya revolutionised one-day cricket along with his partner Romesh Kaluwitharana with their pinch hitting (hitting the ball over the close in fielders in the first 15 overs when there were field restrictions) in the 1996 World Cup.

He was adjudged the most valuable player in the World Cup and played a key role in helping Sri Lanka to win the biggest trophy in world cricket. In the following year he scored an epic 340 for Sri Lanka in a Test against India at the Premadasa stadium putting on 576 runs for the second wicket with Roshan Mahanama (225) - a world record stand.

Last week he completed 20 years in International cricket having made his debut against Australia in a One-day International at Melbourne on December 26, 1989. He has the distinction of registering Sri Lanka’s highest individual score in One-day Internationals with 189 against India at Sharjah in the year 2000.

Off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan the finest bowler in the history of Test cricket surpassed Shane Warne’s world record of 708 Test wickets last year.

He bagged 16 wickets against England in August 1998 at the London Oval test which gave Sri Lanka a historic win over England in which game Sanath Jayasuriya scored a superb 213.

The President will also lay the foundation stone for the renovation of the Sports Ministry grounds at Torrington Square which includes a new synthetic track at a cost of nearly Rs. 300 million for the benefit of Sri Lankan athletes who are training at the venue.

(Source)

Jayasuriya & Murali - Two precious stones losing their lustre

There is no delicate way of putting this. Two of the finest cricketers of this age, two match-winners, two game-changers, Muthiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya looked in the recent series in India to have come to the end of the road. When such phenomenal performers with property rights over 22 yards of turf begin to look like journeymen two thoughts dominate.

One, gratitude for the many hours of pleasure they have provided with their varied skills, and two, a deep sense of loss. The feeling that the magic might never be seen again, certainly not over a five-day Test match, the real test of the great player.

By pushing him down the order in the one-day series, Sri Lanka were sending a message to Jayasuriya, who at 40 showed he was still good enough for the Twenty20 game but even on the placid wickets in India struggled in the one-day international. That he was not asked to open, and even kept on the bench are hints enough. Jayasuriya had retired from cricket three years ago, but returned when he was asked to by the country’s sports minister.

He is a game-changer, bringing to the international arena the cockiness that superior alley batsmen bring to their calling when boys. A quick eye, strong forearms and a big heart made up for the shortcomings in technique. Yet that technique was good enough for a triple century in Tests. Fast bowlers got used to the idea of seeing their best deliveries being picked out from the audience at cover point or fine leg. It began in the 1996 World Cup when Jayasuriya, born in Motera, outside Colombo the traditional nursery, brought to the game the unaffected, free flowing approach only those outside the pale of the coaching manual can bring to their efforts.

That he was able to continue this unorthodox approach through all forms of the game, at all times and through all the political upheavals that are a part of cricket in the region is a measure of the uniqueness of the man.

His teammate Muralitharan is just eight wickets short of 800 in Tests, and sentiment might see him play long enough to achieve that remarkable landmark. His impact on Sri Lankan cricket has been enormous, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is the single most important player from that Island ever to have played the game. The statistics alone are mind-boggling. He has played a role in 53 of Sri Lanka’s 60 Test wins, with 430 wickets at an average of 16. Forty of his 66 five-wicket hauls have come in those games.

If batsmen could not decipher the rotations of his wrist they could not be blamed – it took teams of scientists to work out that he propelled the ball legitimately without recourse to a bent arm. The International Cricket Council, forced to go deep into the vexed question of chucking came up with a definition that implied Muralitharan was a genius for being able to do what he could. If the definition of genius is, equally, the capacity for taking infinite pains, then Muralitharan qualified on that count too. A mild-mannered, gentle soul, he was barracked mercilessly in Australia and condemned by ex-players around the world. Yet his strength of character withstood the attacks that might have felled a lesser man.

The doosra, which he mastered, was one of the two technical advances in bowling in the latter half of the last century (the other being the reverse swing). Muralitharan expanded the possibilities in the art of spin bowling, adding to our enjoyment of a craft that is one of the game’s most intriguing. A dropped catch deprived him of a ten-in-an-innings feat, and occasionally a batting failure rendered his own bowling efforts futile but he remained the old faithful, inspiring a nation both by the intricacies of his bowling and the toil he put in to retain his place as one of the greatest bowlers of all time.

He said after the India tour that his body is no longer able to take the five-day game, although he would like to continue in the shorter version (he has 512 ODI wickets). The decline has been noticeable in the last two years. Since 2007, he has taken 73 wickets in 15 Tests, but 39 of them were against Bangladesh in five. He was 37 this year, and the enormous workload over so many years was already beginning to take its toll.

(Article by Suresh Menon - Source)

Jayasuriya still has a lot to offer - Murali

By Muttiah Muralitharan.

There is something about playing India that seems to bring out the best in Sanath (Jayasuriya). Having played with him for nearly two decades and having witnessed first-hand his fondness for their bowling, I was not surprised to see him confound his critics once again on Saturday night with a brilliant display. 
    

With no fifty-plus score since January, his critics in the local media were getting more vocal about his future as he is 40 now. However, we all know with Sanath that he is used to bouncing back and he takes just one knock to surge back to his best. As he showed, age is irrelevant if you are still fit and have fast reactions. 
   

 Sanath showed that fitness with his superb running. Playing One-day cricket in the Premadasa cauldron is exhausting even for young legs, but Sanath coped with that physical challenge easily. He also showed off the value of all his 437-game experience, settling the innings after the loss of Dilshan, Mahela and Sanga. 
    

Sanath’s effort shows that he still has more to give and as long as he can chip in with those kind of performances, he will remain a valuable member of our One-day unit. We have a mix of young and old in our team right now and both starred on Saturday. The performances of Thilina Kandamby and Angelo Mathews were just as heartening as Sanath’s knock. 
    

Our middle order has been a problem area for some time now. We’ve had players of ability, but no one has really settled. Now, though, Thilan Samaraweera is starting to shine and Kandamby is looking increasingly promising. The calm and mature manner in which he guided us in the final stages of the innings, especially in the final Power-Play, was very impressive. 
   

In Mathews we know we’ve also uncovered an all rounder of real substance: a top-class batsman, the best of which we are yet to see, and a canny seamer with a knack for taking key wickets, as he showed with his remarkable match bag of 6 for 20. He has the head for international cricket and I think he’ll mature into one of the best allrounders in the world. 
    

We were obviously delighted by our performance. But today’s game is the game that counts and we have to reproduce that form again. 
    

India were well below par, perhaps rusty after a long layoff and maybe even tired as they were playing back-toback games. I have no doubt that after a day’s rest, they’ll put together a much better effort. We were fortunate to win the toss on Saturday, but if we don’t on Monday then we have to be ready to overcome that disadvantage and restrict India to a manageable total. 
    

In the last series in February, we let them pile-up huge totals and the bowlers cannot let that happen in the final. Chasing anything above 250 will be tough.

Source  

Sangakkara banking on veterans Sanath,Murali and Mahela to deliver in T20 WC

Mahela Jayawardena (left) and Sanath Jayasuriya follow the proceedings at the media launch of a new team sponsor at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters on Tuesday.

The Sri Lanka cricketers led by new captain Kumar Sangakkara will take wing today to England for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament starting on June 5. The Sri Lankans find themselves in a tough group with Australia and West Indies as their opponents. The first hurdle they will have to clear is beating one of these teams, if they are to move on to the Super eight group, the semi-finals and then god willing the final and the trophy. The Lankans play Australia on the 8 and West Indies on the 10 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

Pity that the Lankans have not been given a game at the Kennington Oval or the Mecca of cricket Lord’s. But that is how it goes.Addressing the media at the Cricket Board Headquarterson Tuesday, skipper Sangakkara said that he has the talent and theconfidence to beat their opponents.”

We have some plans and strategies as to how we should go against our opponents. If we play to form,there is no reason why we should not get the better of our opponents. Sangakkara said that in addition to the experienced seniors, he has some highly talented juniors with him. While the opponents will know how the seniors go, it is advantageous to have the juniors, because the opponents will not have a know how of the capabilities of the juniors.

The winners in this style of game are those who execute correctly the needs of this game. There is no time to think, because runs have to be made off each ball, not caring how it comes, but that it comes.When bowling it has to be wicket to wicket and curtailing the batsman’s ability to score.

What is very important is that the fielding, especially the catching be spot on. A big responsibility rests on the broad shoulders of the elder statesman in the team Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya has proved himselfin this style of game and knows how to adjust. He has promised to deliver this time round. Batsmen of the calibre of the

Sanath Jayasuriya

skipper, Tillekeratne Dilshan, former skipper Mahela Jayawardena, Chamara Silva, Indika de Saram and Farveez Mahroof must strike it rich with the bat. The good news is that Mahela Jayawardena is quickly responding to treatment and is fast recovering. “I am still not back to full fitness. But when tournament time comes around, I’ll be raring to go”, said a beaming Jayawardena who was reaching his peak batting form when he suffered a muscle damage.

Lasith Malinga, now that he has regained full fitness and showed good form in the IPL Twenty20 will have to lead the pack of bowlers.

Spinners Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitheran and Sanath Jayasuriya must curb the batsmen. The conditions will be cold, similar to the conditions some of the players experienced in South Africa. The wickets at Trent Bridge will be more swing friendly and while the bowlers will have to have control, the batsmen will have to get in line before executing. The cricketers have been fortunate to have with them the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket D. Somachandra de Silva a former national cap. DeSilva a former leg spinning all-rounder knows what the cricketers need.”

The players must have peace of mind to perform. I have looked into every need of the players and gone out of the way to please them. The players too have confidence in me and together we have formed a good rapport”, said the chairman and advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on cricket. He is confident that the players will mark his appointment as chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket by flying back with the ICC Twenty20 trophy.

The Lankans will not have to worry about security. The organisers have spread out a security blanket and the tournament should go on without a hitch.

Jayasuriya to play for Bloomfield against Tamil Union in Coca Cola Premier limited overs tournament final

Two equally good teams Bloomfield and Tamil Union will clash in the Sri Lanka Cricket organised Coca Cola Premier limited overs tournament final at the R. Premadasa Stadium today.

Both teams have experienced mixed fortunes on their way into the final but are confident following their success in the two semifinals. In fact Bloomfield produced a fine performance to beat the giant killers Chilaw Marians SC in the first semifinal while Tamil Union had the better of NCC by 36 runs.

Bloomfield finished on top of the points table at the completion of the preliminary round with a total of eight victories and one loss from ten outings. Their solitary defeat came at the hands of Colts CC during the latter stages of the tournament.

Tamil Union were placed second in the points table with a total of seven victories and two defeats from their ten outings. They suffered two defeats at the hands of Colts CC by four wickets and Chilaw Marians SC by 21 runs.

The final is of great significance considering the fact that the clash between the two teams in the preliminary round tournament did not materialise and was abandoned due to bad weather.

The good news for Tamil Union is the return of the champion off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is set to play only his second match of the tournament according to their assistant coach Trishen Nonis. The new vice captain of the Sri Lanka team will spearhead the Tamil Union bowling attack along with Isuru Udana (18 wickets) and Suranga Lakmal (14 wickets). The Tamil Union batting will revolve around Gihan Rupasinghe (292 runs), Ashan Priyanjan (283 runs) and skipper Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (253 runs).

Bloomfield of course have a strong team on paper and will be boosted with the return of dashing middle order batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan who will lead the side. He will also have the services of all rounder Chinthaka Jayasinghe who has scored 335 runs with three fifties and captured 19 wickets.

The other top run getters in the Bloomfield side are Chamara Silva who has a tally of 375 inclusive of four half centuries and Saman Jayantha 343 runs with three fifties.

The champions will receive a cash award of Rs. 750,000 and the runners up will receive Rs. 500,000. In addition special awards will be presented to the Best Batsman, Best Bowler, Man of the Match and Player of the Series.

The teams.

Tamil Union (from): Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (captain), Gihan de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suranga Lakmal, Sajith Fernando, Sachithra Serasinghe, Ashan Priyanjan, Jeewan Mendis, Gihan Rupasinghe, Lanka de Silva, Isuru Udana, Madawa Perera, Malinga Surappulige, Anton de Livera, Sanjeewa Chaturanga, Viraj Perera and Pubudu Chandrasekera.

Bloomfield (from): Tillekeratne Dilshan (captain), Shanuka Dissanayake, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tharanga Lakshitha, Saman Jayantha, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Anoj Ketapearachchi, Ranga Dias, Prasanna Jayawardena, Chamara Silva, S. Mendis Suraj Mohamed, Nuwan Pradeep, Sanjaya Gangodawila, Tharaka Gunaratne and Thilina Masmulla.

The Aging Warriors in the Sri Lankan Team | Sanath Jayasuriya & Muttiah Muralitharan

Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan are the most senior members of the Sri Lankan team. They were part of the Ranatunga outfit that took the Sri Lankans from minnow status to one of the powerhouses in international cricket. But they are aging fast at 39 and 36 years respectively, and it needs to be seen how Sri Lanka will handle their retirements.

Murali has already decided to make the 2011 World Cup his final goobye. Since it will be played in the Indian sub-continent, it would be a good place for him to go out with a bang. Having now claimed the highest number of wickets in one-dayersTests, there are few records left for him to break. and

I guess he could continue playing if he is still in good health, but the problem is that everytime he has a slump in form, people will take it as a sign of decline with age, and he will be under pressure. Sri Lanka does not have the strength to accomplish any great feats in Test cricket that would necessitate Murali hanging around.

Sri Lanka, being much stronger in ODIs than Tests, it is possible that Murali will go Jayasuriya’s route of a Test retirement first. With Mendis around, it won’t be as easy to grab the lion’s share of wickets any longer, and so the pace of wicket-taking will fall. In addition, longer tours against the bigger Test nations will prove gruelling.

Jayasuriya is also likely to try to stick around for the 2011 World Cup finals, but he has not made any commitment or expressed interest. AFAIK, he is taking it one match at a time. Sri Lanka has few talented and destructive batsmen as him. So his place is safe for the time being.

Since he retired from Tests, Jayasuriya only has limited overs achievements ahead of him. As far as individual records go, he is way behind Sachin Tendulkar, so perhaps the 2011 World Cup is the only thing left for him. Sri Lanka do have a good chance at it (if they can reverse the current slump), but South Africa and India could crash that party.

[Photos remixed from photo taken by Tony Patterson (license) and photo taken by S J Jagadeesh (license)]

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