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Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath jayasuriya portrait
Sanath jayasuriya portrait Image: Wikimedia Commons. User:Chamal_N / CC BY 2.0

Overview

Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (born 30 June 1969) is a Sri Lankan former cricketer, captain, cricket administrator, coach and politician. A left-handed batter, left-arm orthodox spinner and dynamic fielder, Jayasuriya is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to have played One Day International (ODI) cricket. He was a key member of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup, and later led the side as captain between 1999 and 2003.

Key facts

Full name Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
Born 30 June 1969
Nationality Sri Lankan
Batting Left-handed
Bowling Left-arm orthodox spin
Role All-rounder, opening batter
National side Sri Lanka
Captaincy tenure 1999–2003
Test retirement December 2007
Limited-overs retirement June 2011
Constituency (2010) Matara District

Background

Jayasuriya hails from the Matara District in southern Sri Lanka. His international career spanned over two decades, during which he played all three formats of the game and became a central figure in Sri Lankan cricket's rise as a major force in world cricket.

Playing career

Revolutionising ODI batting

Together with his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana, Jayasuriya is credited with revolutionising one-day international cricket through explosive batting in the mid-1990s. Their aggressive use of the early overs initiated the hard-hitting modern-day batting strategy that was subsequently adopted by teams across the world.

1996 World Cup and recognition

Jayasuriya played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka's victorious 1996 World Cup campaign and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. In 1997, the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack broke an age-old tradition by naming him one of its Five Cricketers of the Year, despite his not having played the previous season in England.

Captaincy

Jayasuriya captained Sri Lanka from 1999 to 2003. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with India after the final was washed out, leaving the two sides as joint champions.

Later career

He was part of the Sri Lankan teams that reached the finals of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. Jayasuriya retired from Test cricket in December 2007 and from limited-overs international cricket in June 2011.

Records and significance

Jayasuriya is the only player to have achieved the all-round double of scoring over 10,000 runs and capturing more than 300 wickets in a single format of international cricket. He is regarded as one of the greatest attacking batsmen of his era, known for powerful striking and match-winning all-round performances across formats. He also created several world records during his career.

Administration and coaching

On 28 January 2013, Sri Lanka Cricket appointed Jayasuriya as the chairman of its cricket selection committee. During his tenure as chief selector, Sri Lanka won the ICC World Twenty20 for the first time in 2014. He has also served as the head coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team.

Political career

Jayasuriya contested the 2010 Sri Lankan general elections and was elected to parliament from his native Matara District. He topped the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) parliamentary election list for Matara district with 74,352 preferential votes.

He served as the Deputy Minister of Postal Services in the UPFA government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, and subsequently as the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development under President Maithripala Sirisena. Jayasuriya did not contest the 2015 general election and is not currently active in politics.

Timeline

  • 1969: Born on 30 June.
  • 1996: Wins the Cricket World Cup with Sri Lanka; named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
  • 1997: Named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.
  • 1999–2003: Captains the Sri Lankan national cricket team.
  • 2002: Sri Lanka share the ICC Champions Trophy with India under his captaincy.
  • 2007: Reaches the Cricket World Cup final; retires from Test cricket in December.
  • 2009: Reaches the ICC World Twenty20 final.
  • 2010: Elected to parliament from Matara District.
  • 2011: Retires from limited-overs international cricket in June.
  • 2013: Appointed chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket's selection committee on 28 January.
  • 2014: Sri Lanka win the ICC World Twenty20 during his tenure as chief selector.

References