Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997
One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball, Jayasuriya found belated 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 dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces. Short in stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, and his brutal bat-wielding is at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up 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, capable of scoring freely on both sides of the wicket.
Jayasuriya is also an extremely effective and canny left-arm spinner, especially in one-day internationals where his stock leg-stump darts are mixed up with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka's captain for a successful tenure after the sacking of Arjuna Ranatunga in 1999. His leadership style was consensual in comparison to the Napoleon approach adopted by Ranatunga, and he soon built a happy and unified team. The huge responsibility of leading the team, though, started to show and by the 2003 World Cup, after a myriad of off-field controversies, it was clear that he had become a reluctant captain. He eventually resigned in April 2003.
- Full name : Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
- Born : June 30, 1969, Matara
- Batting style : Left-hand bat
- Bowling style : Slow left-arm orthodox
- Test debut : New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton - Feb 22-26, 1991
- Last Test : Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Kandy - Apr 3-7, 2006
- ODI debut : Australia v Sri Lanka at Melbourne - Dec 26, 1989
- Last ODI : Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Chittagong (CDS) - Feb 25, 2006
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