Real hard work brought good results - Mahela
Chris Dhambarage
Skipper Mahela Jayawardena rewrote record books as he became the
first Sri Lankan player to score seven thousand runs during his
magnificent unbeaten knock of 167 runs on the third day of the second
Test match against the touring England team continued at the SSC ground
in Maitland Place, yesterday.
This was of course not the only record that was established on a day
which was dominated by the home side.
Jayawardena while on 111 passed retired Sanath Jayasuriya's Sri Lanka
Test record of 6973 runs, on 137 he broke the 7000 barrier, and when he
reached his 150, he overtook Graham Gooch's long-standing record as the
highest run-scorer on a single Test ground.
The former England opener collected 2015 runs from his 21 visits to
Lord's and Jayawardena has 2034 runs to his tally in 19 games at his
favourite SSC ground.
In addition he also equaled Aravinda de Silva's record for the most
number of centuries for Sri Lanka having crossed the three figure mark
for the 20th occasion.
The Sri Lankan captain said that it has been real hard work in the
past few years that has brought him results in the current series. The
elegant right hander felt that while sticking to the basics and doing
the right thing at the correct time has been the secret behind his
success.
Jayawardena said that he has worked hard on his defence at the nets
and has been able to control his shots that has helped him to frustrate
the bowlers while occupying the crease for a longer period.
He felt that going pass veteran Sanath Jayasuriya as the leading run
getter for his country was a special occasion but believed that still
there is room for improvement in his batting.
Jayawardena noted that Test cricket is all about getting better after
every game and should be prepared to play a long innings every time.
The Sri Lankan captain felt that his team has a very good chance of
forcing a victory in this Test as the wicket is deteriorating which will
be quite helpful to Muttiah Muralitharan.
Jayawardena said that he is looking forward to building a total of
over 200 runs during the next two sessions and that will put England
under tremendous pressure batting on the fifth and final day of a Test
match.
Most runs for Sri Lanka in Test matches (Top 10)
Player Mat Innings NO Runs HS Ave
DPMD Jayawardene 92* 150 11 7030 374 50.57
ST Jayasuriya 110 188 14 6973 340 40.07
PA de Silva 93 159 11 6361 267 42.97
KC Sangakkara 70* 115 9 5986 287 56.47
MS Atapattu 90 156 15 5502 249 39.02
A Ranatunga 93 155 12 5105 135* 35.69
HP Tillakaratne 83 131 25 4545 204* 42.87
WPUJC Vaas 101* 146 30 2721 100* 23.45
RS Mahanama 52 89 1 2576 225 29.27
AP Gurusinha 41 70 7 2452 143 38.92
Most hundreds for Sri Lanka in Test matches (Top 10)
Player Mat Inns NO 100
DPMD Jayawardene 92* 150 11 20
PA de Silva 93 159 11 20
KC Sangakkara 70* 115 9 16
MS Atapattu 90 156 15 16
ST Jayasuriya 110 188 14 14
HP Tillakaratne 83 131 25 11
AP Gurusinha 41 70 7 7
TT Samaraweera 40 60 8 5
MG Vandort 13* 21 2 4
LRD Mendis 24 43 1 4
Most runs on a single ground in Test matches (Top 10)
Player Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50
(1) DPMD Jayawardene
(Sri Lanka) 19* 28 3 2034 374 81.36 8 4
at SSC Ground
(2) GA Gooch (England) 21 39 1 2015 333 53.02 6 5
at Lord’s, London
(3) DG Bradman (Australia) 11 17 4 167 270 128.53 9 3
at Melbourne Cricket Ground
(4) BC Lara (West Indies) 14 22 1 1650 400* 78.57 4 6
at Antigua Recreation Ground,
St John’s, Antigua
(5) ST Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) 22 37 3 1542 199 45.35 2 10
at SSC Ground
(6) A Flower (Zimbabwe) 20 35 5 1535 199* 51.16 4 6
at Harare Sports Club
(7) L Hutton (England) 12 19 2 1521 364 89.47 4 5
at The Oval, London
(8) AJ Stewart (England) 20 37 4 1476 124* 44.72 3 8
at Lord’s, London
(9) AR Border (Australia) 16 29 5 1415 205 58.95 4 9
at Adelaide Oval
(10) Javed Miandad (Pakistan) 17 25 1 1393 211 58.04 3 8
at National Stadium, Karachi
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