Sri Lanka Insurance Cricket Legends 2007:

Jayawardene a sight to behold

CRICKET: Mahela Jayawardene can easily be classed as the best captain that Sri Lanka has produced.

In addition to his stylish right hand batting he has a shrewd cricketing brain and his crowning moment as captain came when he was chosen the Best Captain of the Year by the International Panel.

Jayawardene too will be one of the attractive cricketers playing in the cricket carnival organised by the Sri Lanka Crickets Association and Sri Lanka Insurance at the Sinhalese Sports Club on September 26.

After a wonderful innings at Nalanda College, where he showed more than ordinary talent as a promising batsman, the Sri Lanka cap did not take long to come his way.

Once he cemented his place in the national side, runs flowed freely from his straight bat and the 374 he scored in a Test against South Africa on his home turf, stands as the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Tests.

In getting to this score he surpassed the record held by Sanath Jayasuriya which was 340.

In addition to this big score, Jayawardene was involved in world record stand of 600 plus for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara.

Jayawardene once he assumed the leadership of the national team has continued to grow in stature and has easily become the best in the business of Test cricket and can be bracketed alongside Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Jayawardene’s batting success has stemmed from the fact that he offers the straightest of straight bats when at the wicket. He has one of the straightest bats going in world cricket today.

Even in the limited overs game where run making matters and not the copybook strokes you play, Jayawardene has shown that he could accustom to this unorthodox game and score, yet not losing the fundamentals of batting and that is playing straight.

He is a pressmen’s delight. Ever ready to face the press and answer whatever questions, he has forged a wonderful rapport with the media. His command of the language is excellent and his answering the media has been first rate.

He says that his favourite stroke is the forward defence. That statement would have been made in jest considering that it was said in the mockery of Twenty20 cricket. His favourite stroke has been the off drive which he executes to perfection as if from the book which sees the balls scorching to the boundary once it leaves his bat.

In addition to his allround stroke play, his timing is an aspect to behold and he is not one who will throw away his wicket, but always endeavour for a big score with the fortunes of his team in mind.

Jayawardene has a lot more cricket left in him and the coming years should see his captaincy reach its zenith and more runs flowing from his bat. He sure would be a draw card in the cricket carnival on Sunday.

Jayawardene has played in 88 Tests, scoring 6,630 runs with a highest score of 374. He has played in 256 one-day internationals with a highest score of 128. He has figured in 8 Twenty20s with 65 as his highest.

Once the big guns in Sri Lankan cricket quit, Jayawardene will have a big burden to shoulder and take the game forward. He has the ability and is competent to do so.

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE