Jayasuriya suffers from serious form loss as SL take on NZ | Compaq Cup 2009 - 1st ODI

Sanath Jayasuriya is going through a worrying trough 

With only 15 days until the Champions Trophy you'd think the teams' preparations would be ready for the final polish. But Sri Lanka and New Zealand still have a few experiments to complete and players to evaluate in their last chance before the bigger competition.

Both Sri Lanka and New Zealand are reliant on explosive openers and two men behind, with a worrying degree of rawness in the middle- and lower-orders. Both also carry a mixture of inexperienced batsmen and those whose potential remains unfulfilled due to a flawed approach at the crease.

Sanath Jayasuriya's lack of form is a serious concern. "We'd like to keep Sanath out of form, but we know that a player of his class can strike at any time," was Daniel Vettori's assessment.

Sangakkara addressed Sri Lanka's concerns on the eve of the tournament but was confident of a change in limited-overs fortunes when the teams stepped into the 50-over format. "You can read into a loss and come up with a number of theories but it's best to just deal with it and move on. The reality is that New Zealand outplayed us," he said. "It was unfortunate that we lost the first game after having such a strong start from Dilshan. In the second game, we were second best all throughout. One-day cricket is a different ball game. There are more overs and you have more time. You have to raise your standards. I'm confident of our abilities." 

Sanath Jayasuriya fails in second grade team

Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya failed to make use of the opportunity given to him by the national cricket selectors ahead of the forthcoming home Tri-Series, when he was dismissed cheaply yesterday in a warm up game against New Zealand at the SSC grounds Colombo.

Jayasuriya faced eleven deliveries and scored just two runs before being caught behind by Gareth Hopkins off paceman Darrell Tuffey with the total of Sri Lanka “A” team reading just seven.

Tuffey dealt another blow in his next over removing promising youngster Mahela Udawatte to restrict the home team to 13 for 2.

Earlier in a surprise move that sent a signal about their thinking, Sri Lanka national cricket selectors  included Jayasuriya in the Sri Lanka “A” team to play New Zealand in the warm-up game.

The 40-year old former Sri Lanka captain has been in terrible form in recent times and has been a worry to the team at the top of the order, totalling just 132 at 18.66 in his last seven One Day International innings since January this year.

National selectors have also come under heavy fire for persisting with Jayasuriya despite the failures, and including him in the warm up game sent a message to Jayasuriya that his place in the side is under evaluation.

Jayasuriya has retired from Test cricket and didn’t have many opportunities to face quality international bowling in the middle since late, and was obviously rusty as his shaky batting proved during the two Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand last week.

Today’s warm up game was meant to give him an opportunity to get himself back in the groove. 

Jayasuriya however, does not face an immediate threat to his place in the Sri Lanka ODI team as he has already been named in the country's 15-member final squad for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament which begins in South Africa shortly.

Source : Daily Mirror . lk  

Jayasuriya will be given every chance till he gets back to form - Sangakkara

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has defended veteran dasher Sanath Jayasuriya’s horrific batting form and said that the team management will be patient with the 40-year-old till he gets back to form, whenever that will happen.

"It's always a concern when a batsman's out of form," Sangakkara said at the post match press conference after the Twenty20 loss to New Zealand on Friday night. "But we all know what he can do and what he has done. We have to give him every chance to get back in there and score runs.''

Sangakkara had also admitted that the fragility of the Sri Lankan top order was hidden by Tillekratne Dilshan’s magnificent form and was exposed when Dilshan failed.

"When a batsman's in form, he always seems to be the guy scoring the runs at the top. Unfortunately the other guys haven't been supporting him as they can," said Sangakkara. "They have the ability to do so but unfortunately we haven't had that. It's a learning process, form comes and goes but I think the players we do have are well capable of getting us the runs and the starts we need to win."

Sangakkara also conceded that his team was outplayed by the Black Caps. "It was a great pitch, but we lost too many wickets and were not able to build the kind of partnerships you need. We tried everything and we still came up short. A loss is always a concern. Once you're outplayed, you have to accept it. You learn from it and move on."

Source : DailyMirror.lk

Vote for The Greatest ODI Batsman - Sanath Jayasuriya

From Aug 31,2009, www.espnstar.com, along with SportsCenter India, Score Tonight and Inside Cricket, are running a joint Online – On-Air initiative to decide which star from a whole host of great batsmen has made the biggest impact on the high-octane, adrenaline-pumping world of one-day International Cricket.

A stellar list of batting stars including Sanath Jayasuriya, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting are short-listed for the right to be crowned “The Greatest ODI Batsman” – and it is your vote that will decide who wins.

Below, you'll see a list of sixteen batsmen who have wowed Cricket crowds over the years. When voting opens, we're looking for you to decide exactly who was “The Greatest" ODI Batsman ever.

At present Sanath Jayasuriya is competing with M.Bevan and Sanath is leading in the race for the next round with approx 9% lead.

He shall be facing Saeed Anwar next.

I request all Sri Lankan and Sanath Jayasuriya fans to vote for Sanath Jayasuriya till the poll ends,as many times as possible and give Sanath the place he deserves.

Greatest ODI Batsman of all time - Sanath Jayasuriya.

Here is the link to vote : http://www.espnstar.com/games/the-greatest-odi/game/

_____________________________________________________

Note : The mechanism to decide the winner is as follows:

1. Sixteen Batsmen - past and present - have been shortlisted.
2. This list has been chosen by a group of ESPN STAR Sports representatives. From now on, it's your choice as to who wins.
3. The voting mechanism will be in the form of a knock-out.
   1. The 16 will be paired against each other in a knockout draw chosen at random.
   2. Pairings will then be made available for the public to cast their votes for a set period.
   3. The "winner" (i.e. the person with the bigger percentage of votes cast) will go through to the next round - while the loser will be "eliminated"
4. This voting process is repeated for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final scheduled to be held from 09 – 21 September.
5. The winner will then be announced during the Champions Trophy pre show on Tuesday 22nd September.

Shastri rates Jayasuriya as greatest ODI all rounder of all time

Former India captain Ravi Shastri has revealed which players he believes are the greatest ODI stars of all time and Sanath Jayasuriya is one of them.

"If I was to choose my best ODI batsman then it would be Sachin Tendulkar and if I was asked to name my best ODI bowler then it would be Wasim Akram," said Shastri in an interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC) website.

"But looking at all-round cricketers and their impact on the game then I am tied over Viv Richards and Sanath Jayasuriya."

"As for Sanath Jayasuriya, he ripped up and re-wrote the one-day rule book through his amazing hitting at the top of the order and he's still doing it today, past the age of 40.

"On top of that, he's always been a brilliant fielder and a very under-rated bowler. Sanath is also, quite simply, a match-winner in every sense and in terms of his performances against India for example, when he's fired then invariably Sri Lanka has won.

"You can talk about the abilities of Muralidaran, Vaas, Sangakkara, Jayawardena and even Aravinda de Silva going back a few years but when Sanath is on song he has set up the match for the rest of them.

"He has redefined batting at the top of the order. When someone starts playing the way he did – and still does – back in the mid-1990s then cricket sense tells you that person will be found out at some stage. But here we are in 2009 and he's still at it, smashing opening attacks everywhere, just as he did over a decade ago. He might not be in his prime any more, that period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but he can still hammer any attack. I saw his record century in Singapore against a qualityPakistan attack a few years ago and that was a privilege that still sticks in the mind."

"The best way to sum up the difference between Viv and the rest through his career was that he was the one player who had the ability to spoil a good game of cricket. Even when I was in the opposition and on the receiving end of one of his performances it was still possible to marvel at his ability.

"That ability was primarily as a batsman, of course, and with his body language and his aggression, when everything was in sync' then he was impossible to bowl at. But what shouldn't be ignored is his fielding which also turned matches, most notably his run-outs that helped beat Australia in the 1975 World Cup final and with the ball he invariably produced solid spells with crucial wickets through his effective off-spin. He was the match-winning package in every sense.

Source : DailyMirror.lk

Leading writers claim Jayasuriya is the greatest 50-over cricketer

Legendary New Zealand cricket writer Don Cameron and Scyld Berry, Editor of Wisden, believe that Sanath Jayasuriya should be regarded as the greatest one-day player of all time.

Cameron, who was the New Zealand Herald Cricket Correspondent between 1960 and 1998, believes that Sanath Jayasuriya, who will be part of Sri Lanka?s squad at the ICC Champions Trophy 2009, is deserving of this title, as cricket fans across the world discuss who they believe to be the world?s leading one-day cricketer.

"I have chosen Jayasuriya because he has led Sri Lankan cricket for close on half his 40 years, and whether blasting centuries or fiddling batsmen out with his subtle left-arm slows, plays cricket with a smile on his face, and magic in his fingers," said Cameron.

"And when he and Romesh Kaluwitharana played their explosive opening innings as Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1995-96 he brought new life to a one-day game that was strangling itself in theory. From a personal point of view he is a cricket-writer's dream."

Meanwhile, Berry agrees that it was the method in which Jayasuriya played the game which makes him deserving of this crown.

"In the past, batting was defensive and bowling was attacking. Now, as a generalisation, it is the other way round. And nobody has done more to bring about this change than Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, to my mind the greatest of 50-over cricketers," said Berry.

"I can still remember how shocked England were by their World Cup quarter-final of 1996 in Faisalabad. In their philosophy they had never dreamed of an opening batsman who hit every ball from the start, admittedly on a flat wicket, without playing himself in.

"Romesh Kaluwitharana made crash-ball 20s and 30s. His partner, Jayasuriya, scored fast and big: over 12,000 ODI runs in his career, and the second most centuries after Sachin Tendulkar, and all scored at almost a run a ball seizing the initiative for his country.

"If this is not enough to seal the deal, Jayasuriya has been - until Ajantha Mendis came along - Sri Lanka's second best spinner after Muttiah Muralidaran, and taken more than 300 ODI wickets. A brilliant left handed all rounder, his powerful hitting made all formats of cricket more exciting for us all."

Source : ICC Cricket

Jayasuriya commends Sunday Observer for giving outstation schools encouragement

One of the world’s most vicious strikers of the ball-Sanath Jayasuriya, a former Sri Lanka skipper, who excelled in cricket while at St. Servatius’ College, Matara was picked as the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in the Outstation Segment in 1988. He was also picked as the Best Batsman and Best All-rounder in the Outstation Schools.

Sanath Teran Jayasuriya was born in Matara on 30th June 1969 and had his education at St. Servatius’ College, Matara. It was there that his cricketing talents were nourished by the principal, G. L. Galappathy and coach Lionel Munasinghe.

Jayasuriya is one of the finest all-rounders from Matara to emerge in school cricket and he kept faith with the game and it was natural that he would make the grade.“It was one of the best things that happened to me in 1988 when I won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in the Outstation Section” said Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya said playing for St. Servatius’ College, Matara brought him immense joy. He said that school cricketers must be motivated and the outstation cricketers must not be neglected. He added that school cricket has helped him a great deal and the much needed push ahead when he was at St. Servatius’ College, Matara. “I must thank the Observer a lot for giving the Matara Schools and school cricketers the push. Jayasuriya said and added that the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest should not be the end, but the foundation laid for better things to be got from the cricketers.

A contest of this nature means a lot to young cricketers. When I was picked as the Best Outstation Cricketer in 1988, it gave me a lot of satisfaction and spurred me on and I am what I am now, because of inter-school cricket and the encouragement it gave him, Jayasuriya said. He said that the ANCL and the Observer should continue the contest for the benefit of the budding school cricketers.

Jayasuriya found fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup and then demonstrated that he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests, eventually becoming Sri Lanka’s highest Test run scorer. He remains dizzly dangerous, especially on the subcontinent’s bouncy surfaces. He cuts and pulls with great power and his opponents have learned to set traps in the gully and at third man to stem the flow of runs, but on song, he can be virtually unstoppable.

Jayasuriya can also be a very effective slow lift-arm bowler, especially on one-day internationals where his stock leg-arm darts are mixed with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka’s captain for a successful tenure after Arjuna Ranatunga from 1999 to 2003. He captained Sri Lanka team in 38 Test matches. The huge responsibility of leading the team started to to show and after the 2003 World Cup, he resigned in April that year.

Having stepped down his position in the side was vigorously debated and a one-day slump prompted several pundits to call ‘time’ on his career. But Jayasuriya was far from finished and he bounced back in 2004 with his most profilic year in Test cricket since 1997. The year included a blazing second innings century against Australia at Kandy that nearly levelled the series and a marathon double hundred against Pakistan at Faisalabad. Twin centuries followed during the Asia Cup 2004 and his form was impressive enough for Somerset to sign him on for a season of County Cricket in 2005. Then in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005, Jayasuriya became only fourth batsman to get to 10,000 runs in one-day cricket. Jayasuriya had the record for the highest Test scores made by a Sri Lankan 340 against India.

He retired in 2005, but bounced back and he was selected to the Test side in England but did not play. He stormed back in typical form, however in the one-day series that followed, showing he has a few more years for competitive cricket.

At the age of 38 Jayasuriya scored 467 runs during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and was the oldest player in the World Twenty-20 that followed in South Africa. He called ‘time’ on his Test career during the first Test against in Kandy in 2007-2008 and bowed out with a cracking 78 in his final innings. His one-day career was all but over when he was left-out for the ODI’s in the West Indies in 2008. However, a superb performance in the IPL-finishing the third highest run getter with 514 runs, prompted country’s sports minister to intervene in his selection for the Asia Cup. He ultimately shaped Sri Lanka’s title victory with a blistering hundred under pressure. In January 2009 during the first ODI against India, he became the second man to cross 13,000 ODI runs and at 40 years and 33 days upto August 2 Sunday, the oldest man to score an ODI century. In the 2008, he played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. In April 2008 he joined the Mumbai Indians to play in the IPL.

Jayasuriya has played in 110 Test matches and scored 6,973 runs an average of 40.07. He made 14 centuries and 31 half centuries with a top score of 340. He bowled 8,188 balls captured 98 wickets at an average of 34.34. Best figures 5 for 34 and held 79 catches.He has played 433 matches in the ODI’s and scored 13,151 runs an average of 32.71, hit 28 centuries and 67 half centuries, highest score of 189.

He bowled 14,484 balls and claimed 313 wickets an average of 36.75 with best bowling figures 6 for 29 and taken 121 catches.

In the twenty-20 tourney he played 60 matches, scored 1,516 runs - an average of 27.07 and made a century and 8 half centuries. Highest score an unbeaten 114, held 16 catches. In bowling, he sent down 734 balls captured 44 wickets for an average of 21.64, with best figures of 4 for 24

High jumper bowls to Jayasuriya

South Asian silver medallist Nalin Priyadarshana tries out his cricket skills

When Nalin Priyadarshana, a South Asian Games high jump silver medallist, left for United States three years ago to further his athletic career, he never thought of playing professional cricket in the United States, even though he was a good soft-ball player. But today, he is in Sri Lanka, bowling his right arm fast balls to Sri Lanka’s cricketing great Sanath Jayasuriya in nets, in an attempt to convince the cricket hierarchy of his new found flair.

Facilitated by high jump great Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam, Nalin arrived here a fortnight ago on an invitation extended by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Duleep Mendis, to get first class coaching experience with the SLC’s fast bowling academy.

“It’s quite a feeling to be among some of the best bowlers in Sri Lanka and to bowl to an icon like Sanath Jayasuriya,” Priyadarshana says of his newest experience.

Though the lanky high jumper has played tennis ball cricket right through his life, just as any boy would do in Sri Lanka, he had never played hard ball cricket until last year when he was asked to represent Victoria Cricket Club by a club official having seen him playing tennis-ball cricket at a park in Arcadia.

Twenty-five year old Nalin is a high jump coach at East Los Angeles Community College where he is also studying physical education and will be going back to USA in August to continue his studies and work if his cricketing aspiration in Sri Lanka does not materialize.
“It gave me a new hope and I am here now working with the specialized coaches to see where I stand,” he said.

Nalin never had professional coaching of any sort, even though Ethirveerasingam has undertaken that responsibility lately to help him unearth his hidden talent in cricket while in the United States, but having realized that the youngster has more to offer than what he saw, Ethirveerasingam was quick to direct him to Sri Lanka Cricket, guardian of local cricketers.

Even then Nalin can bowl at a speed of 130kmph which he thinks could easily be 140 with little more hard work in the gymnasium.

“I am quite capable of doing that. May be no body will believe me when I say that because I am just 60kg of weight and 5’9 of height. But my arms and thighs are very strong which is why I can bowl at this speed now,” he added.
“He is fast but not extraordinary,” said fast bowling coach Anusha Samaranayake, who very closely scrutinizes the youngster’s ability in the nets last week.

“It’s not easy to bowl at 130kmph within one year of cricket. Obviously he is talented, but we should closely monitor his development during the next few weeks to see where he fits in this great game,” Samaranayake said.
Samaranayake also said that being a high jumper was also an advantage for him.

“We have many in the squad who could bowl at this speed, what matters is how well and soon he develops,” he asserted.
Samaranayake said that once the screening is over, it’s best for him to play club cricket in Sri Lanka if he intends to continue a career in cricket. Nalin has been granted permission to use the gymnasium at Keththarama exclusive for national cricketers during his stay and could attend training session exclusive for national poolists without any hindrance, a chance many cricketers are waiting for.

“I was almost selected to the USA national team but because of the legal restrictions I wasn’t selected.
“I am pretty confident of playing for USA next year as some of the foreign nationals on working visa would retire,” he said.
According to low only four foreign players are allowed in the USA national team.

So, the next few weeks would be very crucial for the athlete turned cricketer, who will make firm decision on his future based on the advice he gets from the cricket officials here. Does it mean that the number two ranked Sri Lanka high jumper is retiring from his first love? ‘No’ he says.
“I will continue to train and improve on my performances but will also continue to play cricket,” he added

In addition to his silver at South Asian Games in 2004, Nalin has won many titles at Junior and Senior levels at home and was adjudged the best athlete at the Peace Games in South Korea where he won high jump and triple jump gold medals.

Though he has not gone to the kindergarten of cricket, coaches believe he is at the upper senior level almost equal to many in the fast bowling academy who have gone through the ladder but he needs to complete his degree which is no easy task given the competitiveness and the high physical and mental demand. If Nalin can get through this he would be the second athlete turned cricketer in recent times after young fast-bowler Isuru Udana.

Source : LakbimaNews

Jayasuriya sets his sights on 2011 World Cup

Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, who turned 40 on Tuesday, has said he wants to carry on until the 2011 World Cup. "I would love to. I am taking each series at a time. Hopefully I will get there. 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 told AFP.

The hard-hitting batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, made his one-day debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1989 and was impressive as an allrounder during Sri Lanka's victorious World Cup campaign in 1996. He is the second batsman after India's Sachin Tendulkar to pass 13,000 runs in ODIs and also holds the record for being the oldest batsman to score a one-day century, at 39 years and 212 days against India in Colombo.

"I don't really worry about records any more these days," Jayasuriya said. "I focus on putting runs on the board, to help the team win matches."

Jayasuriya retired from Tests in 2007, but continues to shine in the shorter versions of the game. He scored freely during the recent World Twenty20 in England where Sri Lanka finished runners-up, and ended as their joint second-highest run-getter with 177 at 25.28.

He 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," Jayasuriya said. "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."

Jayasuriya, who captained Sri Lanka from 1999 to April 2003, knows that life is not easy for youngsters 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."

Jayasuriya announced his retirement in 2006, but made a comeback during Sri Lanka's tour of England in the same year. His next outing will be the home series against world Twenty20 champions Pakistan, who will play five ODIs and a Twenty20 game after the three-Test series that begins 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," Jayasuriya said.

Source : Cricinfo

Jayasuriya - Still going strong at 40

Sanath Jayasuriya turns 40 on Tuesday and it will be no exaggeration to say that he is one of the marvels of the contemporary game. How many players at his age are playing in Twenty20 internationals a format, of, by and for the young?

He is in his 20th year of international cricket and is still the evergreen Jayasuriya who enjoys hitting the ball around and conveying this enjoyment to spectators and a worldwide TV audience.

Surely this is the main reason that still keeps him going long after his contemporaries have ridden off into the sunset

Jayasuriya on the other hand shows no signs of calling it a day. Why, only earlier this month he played a notable role in Sri Lanka making it to the title clash of the Twenty20 World Cup and will no doubt figure prominently in next month's ODI home series against Pakistan.

Sri Lanka just cannot take the field without him in the abbreviated forms of the game.

A decade ago Jayasuriya was the most feared batsman in the one-day game intimidating bowlers even as he walked jauntily to the crease. Not much has changed since then and the Peter Pan of cricket just carries on.

The tally of runs and centuries against his name just keeps bulging and his average and strike rate keeps getting better.

Jayasuriya made his ODI debut in December 1989, just a few days after Sachin Tendulkar played in his first such game. Today he is well past the 400 mark - in fact he was the first to play 400 ODIs and he has since been joined by Tendulkar.

He has retired from Test cricket but there is no indication that he will be quitting the limited overs scene. Why should there be any such talk when he is batting as fluently as ever.

The secret behind Jayasuriya's successful career is that he is still young at heart. That's why even as Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar all a few years younger have opted out of Twenty20 internationals, Jayasuriya is still very much around to regale audiences.

It is a tribute to Jayasuriya's skill, enthusiasm and fitness levels that he has lasted so long and like good wine, seems to be getting better with age. Why, his birthday century last year came up off only 55 balls the sixth fastest in ODIs. Certainly the end of his career is nowhere in sight as yet.

He did in fact announce his retirement a couple of years ago but almost immediately retracted his decision.

Which was just as well for Jayasuriya has still much to contribute to the cause of Sri Lankan cricket and has still much by way of providing entertainment to spectators and the TV audiences all over the cricketing world.

'The Matara Mauler' has lit up one-day cricket at the highest level ever since his power-hitting at the top of the order enabled Sri Lanka to win the 1996 World Cup.

Innumerable have been Jayasuriya's notable feats in the shorter version of the game - still the fastest 50 (off 17 balls), a century off 48 balls (the fifth fastest), the highest partnership (with Upul Tharanga) of 286 for the first wicket, the only player to complete the double of 10,000 runs and 300 wickets, the second highest individual score along with Vivian Richards (189), second behind Tendulkar in the list of run getters (over 13,000) and century makers (27), a still impressive career strike rate of 91.

Remarkably he has also been an outstanding player at the Test level - the second highest run getter for Sri Lanka with just under 7000 runs at a pretty impressive average of 40 coupled with a bag of almost 100 wickets.

In the new millennium as players like Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi, Andrew Symonds and Virender Sehwag have upped the career strike rate to anything between 92 and 111, Jayasuriya achieving the status of elder statesman has stayed in the background.

But he remains dizzily dangerous and no bowler or captain can take his challenge lightly as his recent exploits in the Twenty20 World Cup underlined.

One wouldn't be surprised if he was still around till the 2011 World Cup.