Sanath Jayasuriya Profile
It's hard to imagine that for the first half-decade of his career, Sanath Jayasuriya was considered a bowler who could bat a bit. Think of him now and you think of forearms straight out of a smithy, shots hammered through point and cover and scythes over the leg side. You recall a man who could score equally briskly in every form of the game, who slashed and burned his way through bowling attacks. As with anyone who relied so much on extraordinary hand-eye coordination, there were troughs and lean times, but just as the obit writers got busy, he would produce another innings of supreme power. The bowling, always canny and relying more on variations in pace than sharp turn, became the supporting act, though 420 international wickets should tell you that he was pretty adept at what he did.
Following Mark Greatbatch's success at the 1992 World Cup, most teams were rethinking the way they approached the one-day game and Jayasuriya, who had trawled the lower reaches of the middle order till then, had his first stint as opener during the Hero Cup in India in 1993. It was only during a home series against Pakistan the following year that he established himself in the role and by the time the World Cup rolled around 18 months later, he had already chalked up his first century in whites, a frenetic stroke-filled effort in Adelaide.
The years that followed were both prolific and successful. People remember Aravinda de Silva's magical innings from the semi-final and final of the 1996 World Cup but it was Jayasuriya's withering assaults that deflated India in Delhi and England in the last eight. Soon after, he began to exact as heavy a toll on Test attacks, scoring at such a pace that Muttiah Muralitharan and friends had ample time to work their way through opposition batsmen.
After Arjuna Ranatunga's ouster, there was a four-year stint as captain that ended with a semi-final appearance at the 2003 World Cup, and just as the whispers grew about diminishing returns with the bat, he had one of his most successful years in 2004. There was a retirement announcement in 2006, but he was back within weeks, and the walk off the Test stage came only 18 months later, after a typically cavalier innings in Kandy.
The one-day flame continued to burn bright, and took Sri Lanka to another World Cup final in 2007, and he was instrumental in the Asia Cup win of 2008, a couple of months after it had seemed that the selectors' axe had fallen for the final time. The Indian Premier League gave him a new platform to showcase his big-hitting talent, but failure to replicate the success of the first season in subsequent campaigns was the surest sign that time had finally caught up with a man who was still pounding out one-day hundreds at the age of 39.
Full name Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
Born June 30, 1969, Matara
Current age 41 years 214 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Asia XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Dolphins, Marylebone Cricket Club, Mumbai Indians, Ruhuna, Somerset
Playing role Allrounder
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Batting and fielding averages
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 110 | 188 | 14 | 6973 | 340 | 40.07 | 14 | 31 | 910 | 59 | 78 | 0 | ||
| ODIs | 444 | 432 | 18 | 13428 | 189 | 32.43 | 14719 | 91.22 | 28 | 68 | 1500 | 270 | 123 | 0 |
| T20Is | 30 | 29 | 3 | 621 | 88 | 23.88 | 479 | 129.64 | 0 | 4 | 75 | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| First-class | 263 | 417 | 33 | 14782 | 340 | 38.49 | 29 | 70 | 162 | 0 | ||||
| List A | 554 | 539 | 25 | 16025 | 189 | 31.17 | 31 | 81 | 151 | 0 | ||||
| Twenty20 | 92 | 91 | 6 | 2052 | 114* | 24.14 | 1440 | 142.50 | 1 | 11 | 226 | 100 | 16 | 0 |
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 110 | 140 | 8188 | 3366 | 98 | 5/34 | 9/74 | 34.34 | 2.46 | 83.5 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| ODIs | 444 | 367 | 14838 | 11825 | 322 | 6/29 | 6/29 | 36.72 | 4.78 | 46.0 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| T20Is | 30 | 23 | 353 | 438 | 17 | 3/21 | 3/21 | 25.76 | 7.44 | 20.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First-class | 263 | 15113 | 6719 | 205 | 5/34 | 32.77 | 2.66 | 73.7 | 2 | 0 | |||
| List A | 554 | 18107 | 14333 | 410 | 6/29 | 6/29 | 34.95 | 4.74 | 44.1 | 12 | 5 | 0 | |
| Twenty20 | 92 | 74 | 1263 | 1634 | 62 | 4/24 | 4/24 | 26.35 | 7.76 | 20.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career statistics
Test debut New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton, Feb 22-26, 1991
Last Test Sri Lanka v England at Kandy, Dec 1-5, 2007
ODI debut Australia v Sri Lanka at Melbourne, Dec 26, 1989
Last ODI India v Sri Lanka at Delhi, Dec 27, 2009
T20I debut England v Sri Lanka at Southampton, Jun 15, 2006
Last T20I New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Lauderhill, May 23, 2010
First-class debut 1988/89
Last First-class Colombo Cricket Club v Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club at Colombo (CCC), Nov 13-15, 2009
List A debut 1989/90
Last List A Kandurata v Ruhuna at Colombo (RPS), Jan 24, 2011
Twenty20 debut Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club v Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club at Colombo (RPS), Sep 2, 2004
Last Twenty20 Warwickshire v Worcestershire at Birmingham, Jul 16, 2010
ODI debut Australia v Sri Lanka at Melbourne, Dec 26, 1989
Last ODI India v Sri Lanka at Delhi, Dec 27, 2009
T20I debut England v Sri Lanka at Southampton, Jun 15, 2006
Last T20I New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Lauderhill, May 23, 2010
First-class debut 1988/89
Last First-class Colombo Cricket Club v Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club at Colombo (CCC), Nov 13-15, 2009
List A debut 1989/90
Last List A Kandurata v Ruhuna at Colombo (RPS), Jan 24, 2011
Twenty20 debut Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club v Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club at Colombo (RPS), Sep 2, 2004
Last Twenty20 Warwickshire v Worcestershire at Birmingham, Jul 16, 2010
