1. Mahela Jayawardene: A Genuine Source of
Pride for Sri Lankan Cricket. by Cricket
today
in Sports / Extreme Sports (submitted 2014-08-04)
As a batsman who blends a steely resolve with picture post card elegance and an
insatiable appetite for runs, as a no-nonsense shrewd captain who has led Sri Lanka
to glorious triumphs in all formats of the game and as an affable personality who is
yet not afraid to speak out his mind when the situation warrants he has earned the
ungrudging respect of his country's cricket fans who for over a decade looked up to
him for great things. And rarely did Jayawardene disappoint as his mind boggling
stats in both Tests and limited overs cricket will confirm.
Yes indeed, the facts and figures associated with Jayawardene are of the eye
rubbing variety. He is among the top half a dozen run getters in Tests and ODIs,
figures in the top eight among the century makers in Tests and is the second
highest run getter in T-20 internationals. He is among a handful of batsmen with
six double centuries in Test cricket. When it comes to partnership records he is
supreme as the only cricketer to share in three world Test record stands and holds
one record reach in ODIs and T-20 internationals. The twin jewels in his lustrous
crown has to be his 624-run partnership for the third wicket with Kumar
Sangakkara - the highest for any wicket in first class cricket, let alone Test matches
- and his 374 the fourth highest individual score in the history of Test cricket. Both
of these were achieved against South Africa in 2006.
But then Jayawardene's cricket is more than facts and figures. When it comes to
combining substance with style he has had few equals. He has been a nightmare for
the best of bowlers with his qualities of dedication, determination, discipline and
concentration. What has made it even more difficult for them has been the fact that
Jayawardene besides being an elegant strokeplayer has a steadfast defence.
Jayawardene made his debut as a 20-year-old in a game which saw the highest ever
total in Test cricket being notched up - Sri Lanka's 952 for six against India at
Colombo in 1997. Even in the midst of that massive score, the triple hundred by
Sanath Jayasuriya, the double hundred by Roshan Mahanama and the record 576-
run second wicket partnership Jayawardene's bright 66 did not go unnoticed and he
figured in the first of his numerous century stands with Aravinda de Silva.

2. Regarded then as the most talented young batsman in the country, Jayawardene
succeeded de Silva as the side's principal batsman in the new millennium and then
went from strength to strength to be considered one of the leading batsmen in the
game for several years. De Silva was a fine stroke playing batsman but
Jayawardene has made the torch glow brighter by adding a touch of class.
Fittingly Jayasuriya's record for the highest individual score by a Sri Lankan in
Test cricket was broken by Jayawardene and indeed during that glorious day at
Colombo there seemed every indication that Brian Lara's 400 not out could go
overboard before the tired batsman after batting for 12 hours and facing 572 balls
was bowled by Andre Nel. There had been fears whether the added duties of
captaincy would curb his ethereal stroke making ability. On the contrary
Jayawardene thrived on the responsibility and his Test average peaked at almost 54
when he resigned the captaincy to be succeeded by Sangakkara.
Indeed the two names are indissolubly linked as far as Sri Lankan cricket is
concerned. They are clearly the two best batsmen the country has produced and
have shared numerous century stands together. They enjoy each other's company
on and off the field and their strong bonding as friends and their cricketing acumen
has stood Sri Lanka in very good stead. They could well share one name -
Sangawardene - as they are inseparable when it comes to scripting the great
moments in Sri Lankan cricket.
With all the great feats associated with him Jayawardene did not attract the kind of
attention that the deeds of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis and
Ricky Ponting garnered. He was certainly up there with the best batsmen of the
21st century but then this was very much in keeping with his understated approach.
Soft spoken he preferred to let his bat do the talking as he charmed the ball away
from the fielders with the supple wristiness of his strokeplay all the time
combining it with the ruthless approach that made him a feared opponent. But his
overall image will be that of the smiling, gentle assassin who batted with an
implacable air about him.
Only the very best can be outstanding successes in both Tests and the limited overs
game and Jayawardene is right up there thanks to his ability to adapt expertly to the
needs of both formats. His 16 hundreds and 72 half centuries and his almost 12,000
runs in ODIs speaks eloquently about his undoubted class and the good news from
the Sri Lankan viewpoint is that he will continue to be part of the team in this
format even as he leaves the Test scene.

3. Two more aspects of Jayawardene's cricket need to be touched upon - his captaincy
and his fielding. Leading from the front came naturally to him but almost as
outstanding was his tactical acumen, his deployment of the right strategy
depending on the situation and his reading of the surface. He was a master of
correctly predicting how the pitch would behave. As a slip fielder par excellence
Jayawardene showed remarkable agility and sharp reflexes in latching on to half
chances. As he departs the Test scene he is second to Rahul Dravid in the all time
catching list while he is the only one with over 200 catches in ODIs with the
opportunity to add to that list. The fact that he is the only one with over 200
catches in both Tests and ODIs underscores his skill and class as a fielder.
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