Stories in ‘Blue’ and ‘White’ of Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya, A true servant of the Sri Lankan cricket team. An attacking batsman who redefined ODI cricket with his batting style, a mystery spinner who got the better of even the best in the business, and a successful captain who took his team to victories that are still sweet. There are no roles that Jayasuriya didn’t play for Srilankan cricket. Known by the names ‘Matara Hurricane, and ‘Master Blaster’(the third player to get that name after Sachin Tendulkar and Vivian Richards), Sanath Jayasuriya was truly a special player gifted with so many talents.
Sanath Jayasuriya was born in Matara, Srilanka. Cricket was in his blood during his early childhood days itself. His school principal GL Galappathy and coach Lionel Wagasinghe at St. Servatius College identified his talent and supported his growth as a young cricketer. As the captain of the school cricket team, His performances earned him the award of ‘observer schoolboy cricketer of the Year in 1988. A batter and allrounder Jayasuriya was also recognised as he was awarded as the best batter and best allrounder during his school days. Good things happened soon for Jayasuriya as he was picked to represent the country in the 1988 Youth Cricket World Cup, now the Under 19 World Cup.
The way to the national side opened for Jayasuriya following his performance for the Srilankan B team that toured Pakistan in 1988. He scored two double centuries then and impressed one and all including the selectors who picked him for the national side for the series against Australia in Australia, 1989–90. The boxing day of 1989 saw a young Jayasuriya making his ODI debut against the Australians and in 1991 he made his first test appearance against the Kiwis in Hamilton.
The 1996 World Cup was when the destructive pair of Romesh Kaluwitharana and Sanath Jayasuriya joined hands to destroy the bowling attack of top cricketing nations. This approach was both successful for the Lankans and intimidating to the opponents. Srilanka went on to win the trophy for the first time that year, largely due to the start provided by the openers. Jayasuriya was given the title of most valuable player of that World Cup
Jayasuriya’s ODI career was full of records. He held the record for the fastest 50 (17 balls) and fastest 100 before it was broken by Shahid Afridi, ( AB de Villiers) currently holds the record. Jayasuriya entered the history books when he scored 30 runs in an over against Aamir Sohail. He repeated the same against Chris Harris at Sharjah. The final of the coco-cola cup which was held in Sharjah, in 2000 will be remembered purely because of Jayasuriya’s batting. He scored 189 in that match against India which is his highest ODI score and the highest by any Srilankan batter to date. He was one batter who hit sixes at will and also held the record for the maximum number of sixes in ODI cricket till 2008. He is also the only player to hit back-to-back scores of 150 plus in ODIs when he scored 152 and 157 against England and Netherlands. The numbers speak about how great the man was in ODI cricket. He is the fourth batter to score 10,000 runs and second to score more than 12000 and 13000 runs
The 2008 IPL season changed the fortunes of Jayasuriya as he was recalled to Srilanka’s ODI squad following his performance in the league. He scored 514 runs which made him the third-highest run-getter that season. He celebrated his comeback to the national side by scoring 125 in the final of the 2008 Asia Cup against India. His 100 against Bangladesh on his 39th birthday made him the third player after the great Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli to score a 100 on his birthday.
Jayasuriya played some wonderful innings for the Lankans in the whites also. His score of 340 against India is a pure example of the power-hitting ability the man possessed during his prime days. His partnership of 576 runs with Roshan Mahanama helped Srilanka score a mammoth 952 runs in that match which is the highest test score in history. Jayasuriya is the first Srilankan to make 100 appearances for Srilanka in the test. He hung up his shoes in test cricket in style after scoring 6 fours in an over against England’s James Anderson.
IPL 2008 witnessed some amazing knocks from Jayasuriya’s bat. His innings of 118 off just 48 balls against the Chennai Super Kings was one of the best during that time. This was followed by another amazing inning, 48 off 17 balls that helped Mumbai Indians win the most significant victory in the Ipl history in terms of balls to spare. He continued playing for various franchises in several leagues till the age of 43
Jayasuriya was a genuine wicket-taker as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He broke partnerships during the crucial stages of the game right through his career. His wicket of Sachin Tendulkar during the 1996 World Cup marked the turning point of that game. What followed was an Indian collapse which is still famous for many reasons. His best bowling performance of 6 for 29 was once the best bowling performance by a Srilankan in ODI cricket until Muttiah Muralidharan broke it.
Out of his 440 international wickets, 27 of them came in World Cup matches which makes him an even more special bowler. He was the difference with the ball also between Srilanka and other teams in the Quarter Final matches of the 1996 world cup. However, Jayasuriya also conceded 64 runs in his 4 overs in the 2007 t 20 World Cup, which is the maximum in the international T20s.
Jayasuriya was the captain of Srilanka from 1999–2003. He led the team in 38 tests and 117 ODI matches. Under him, Srilanka won the 2002 Champions Trophy along with India and also made it to the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. His heroics in the 2007 World Cup with the bat is one of the reasons for Srilanka’s successful campaign in that edition
Career and Stats- ESPNCRICINFO- https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/sanath-jayasuriya-49209
Sanath Jayasuriya was a true champion during his playing days. He served his team and country with some amazing performances with both bat and ball. Srilankan cricket has indeed moved forward but there will never be a player like Sanath Jayasuriya.