Former cricketer and Sri Lankan national captain Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is well known for his powerful hitting and match all-round efforts in One Day International cricket. His spectacular batting alongside Romesh Kaluwitharana in 1996 is credited with transforming One Day International cricket and ushering in the aggressive contemporary batting now used by all nations.
All-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya played in international cricket for almost 20 years for Sri Lanka. He is still the only player to have scored over 12,000 runs and more than 300 wickets in One Day International cricket.
He retired from Test cricket in 2007 and did the same for limited overs in 2011. In 2013, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Cricket Selection Committee by Sri Lanka Cricket. In 2014, Sri Lanka won their first ICC World Twenty20 match while he served as chief selector.
Interesting Facts about Sanath Jayasuriya
- Chandana Jayasuriya is a sibling of Jayasuriya, who was born on June 30, 1969 in the town of "Matara" in the south of Sri Lanka. He studied at St. Servatius College, Matara, where coach Lionel Wagasinghe and university administrator GL Galappathy saw his potential and helped mould him into a great player.
- Jayasuriya's nicknames include "Matara Mauler" and "Matara Hurricane". He participated in the inaugural U-19 World Cup for Sri Lanka in 1988 in Australia. He then travelled to Pakistan with Sri Lanka B, where he hit two unbroken double centuries.
- With a modest start of 3 runs on his ODI debut against Australia in 1989, Jayasuriya rose to fourth place among the highest ODI run scorers with 13,430 runs in 445 games. He was voted player of the tournament for his efforts of 221 runs and 6 wickets with the ball. He constantly pressured the opposition throughout the tournament and played a key role in Sri Lanka's victory in the 1996 World Cup.
- With 323 wickets in 445 games, Sanath Jayasuriya holds the lesser-known record for most left-arm wickets. Even spin master Shane Warne has a higher average than Sanath, with 293 ODI wickets.
- Sanath Jayasuriya's Test career was also notable. In 1997 against India, he became the first Sri Lankan player to score a triple century in a Test match. He logged 799 minutes over two and a half days during the epic game.
- Sanath Jayasuriya has consistently outplayed his opponents in ODIs, amassing the most centuries in Sri Lanka with a total of 38. During his career, he won 58 Man of the Match awards for his batting excellence, surpassed only by Sachin Tendulkar in this category.
- Sanath Jayasuriya played for Mumbai Indians in the first season of the IPL and finished as the third-highest run-scorer overall. His excellent average of 43.16 saw him score 472 runs in 15 matches.
- The deadly Sri Lankan opener's skill has also been shown worldwide in the prestigious domestic cricket circuits. Jayasuriya represented several teams in county cricket, including Somerset, Lancashire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
- Jayasuriya married Sandra Tania Rosemary De Silva in 2000, and the couple is blessed with three children.
- He was named the best selector in 2013 by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, and Sri Lanka won the 2014 World T20 tournament under his leadership.
Sanath Jayasuriya's name surely springs to mind when discussing aggressive cricket in the 1990s. At a time when players often took their time to build momentum by playing a few overs, the left-handed Sri Lankan completely changed the batting scene in ODI cricket.
FAQs
Who is Sanath Jayasuriya’s wife?
Jayasuriya married Sandra Tania Rosemary De Silva in 2000, and the couple has three children.
What are Sanath Jayasuriya’s nicknames?
The former Sri Lankan opener goes by the nicknames of "Matara Mauler" and "Matara Hurricane".
When was Sanath Jayasuriya born?
Sanath Jayasuriya was born on 30 June 1969.
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