Jayasuriya the batting sensation

CRICKET: Sanath Jayasuriya one of the left-handed batting sensations in world cricket will show his prowess when he takes strike in the cricket carnival organised by the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association and Sri Lanka Insurance on September 26 at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is a cricketer in the manner born. Gems of his calibre are rarely found. What is great in him was that he came from a little known school from down south - St. Servatius and put to second best some of the cricketers who come from the better schools who have all the material at their disposal to hit the big time.

In school he met with success as allrounder. His batting, bowling and fielding was more than ordinary, and those who watched him on the field realised that he was future national and world material.

Once breaking into the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team and on a tour of Pakistan he served notice of his unlimited talent when he notched up two double hundreds.

Former Pakistani greats who watched him wield the willow, were baffled and predicted a future that would open up unlimited vistas for him.

From that tour onwards there was no stopping Jayasuriya who has gone on to break many batting and bowling records.

On a tour of New Zealand with the national team, Jayasuriya was struggling to get into the team.

But as the saying goes - you cannot keep a good man down - and once he was given the nod, he blasted a 30-odd which had six fours in it and it was in a Test in Hamilton and that signalled the arrival of a batting genius who was to take the world stage by storm.

Jayasuriya treasures his 340 made against India in Tests and also the 189 he made also against India in a one-day international. As a slow left-arm spinner he has been a match winner on a number of occasions.

This left hander with brute force is a treat to watch when in full cry. With wrists and forearms made of steel as the saying goes, his timing too is from out of this world as he send the ball to the boundary and over it, with amazing force like a missile from a rocket launcher.

I have been on many tours with the dashing left-hander and been a witness to the many punishing innings that he played. Today he has been rated as a batting sensation by critics and crowds flock to see him unwind with the bat and there have been times where spectators leave the field once he fails to deliver.

Jayasuriya has always been a team man and takes the field determined to perform for country before self.

After his blistering performances, the captaincy of Sri Lanka was not long in coming.

He wore the mantle of captaincy with great respect and aplomb and his most unforgettable and enjoyable moment was when he steered Sri Lanka into the semi-finals in the World Cup 50/50 tournament.

What was admirable in Jayasuriya was that when his team kept losing and blaming it on him, with no support or accepting of responsibility from the quarters that matter, he declined the captaincy. Now how many other captains would follow suit?

His batting and bowling records are too numerous to mention but suffice to say that he was played 107 Tests and 340 being his highest, 398 one-day international with 189 as his highest. He has played in 7 Twenty 20 internationals with 88 as his best score. His bowling in Test has fetched him 96 wickets. In one-dayers he has 304 wickets with 6 for 29 being his best. He has 3 for 21 in Twenty20s.

At 38, he is still not finished and has many more years of cricket luv’rly cricket left in him.

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE