Sanath Jayasuriya

Did You Know?

• He was educated at St. Servatius' College, Matara, and captained the college cricket team at the annual St. Thomas'–St. Servatius Cricket Encounter in 1988.
• He represented Sri Lanka in the inaugural ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Australia in 1988.
• After his international ban, he took up his first coaching stint with Mulgrave Cricket Club, a third-tier Australian club in Melbourne.

Style and international career

Jayasuriya and his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana first tried aggressive batting tactics on the tour of Australia preceding the 1996 World Cup. They exploited early fielding restrictions by lofting deliveries over infielders, a novel approach that helped Sri Lanka win the World Cup without a single defeat. This strategy is now the standard opening tactic in limited-overs cricket. Glenn McGrath included Jayasuriya in his XI of toughest batsmen, noting that his storming innings in the 1996 World Cup changed how innings are started.

Jayasuriya is known for cuts, pulls, and a trademark lofted cut over point. He was named Man of the Tournament in the 1996 World Cup for his all-around contributions. His batting philosophy is all-aggression, and he holds the record for the second-highest number of ODI centuries and the fourth-most 150+ scores (4), jointly with Chris Gayle and Hashim Amla. Only Rohit Sharma, David Warner, and Sachin Tendulkar have more 150+ scores.

Sri Lanka won over 75% of matches in which he scored over 50 runs in limited-overs cricket. He named Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Courtney Walsh, and Curtly Ambrose as the most challenging bowlers he faced.

Controversies

In a 2001 autobiography, Roshan Mahanama claimed Glenn McGrath racially abused Jayasuriya by calling him a 'black monkey' during a 1996 ODI. In 2010, Jayasuriya signed contracts with two different clubs simultaneously for the Cricket Association of Bengal league, leading both teams to withdraw his name and the association to bar foreign players. In November 2018, he was accused of trafficking rotten betel nuts from Indonesia to India. In March 2018, he criticized Bangladeshi cricketers during the 2018 Nidahas Trophy and called Bangladesh a 'third class team' in a tweet, which he later deleted.

In October 2018, the ICC charged him with two counts of breaching its anti-corruption code for failure to cooperate with an investigation and for concealing or destroying documentation. The investigation related to his time as chairman of selectors and the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in July 2017. In February 2019, he was banned for two years from cricket-related activity. He reportedly attended a 2019 World Cup match between Sri Lanka and India as a casual fan, which the ICC allowed. The ban was lifted in November 2020.

Player statistics

Jayasuriya scored 14 Test and 28 ODI centuries. His first Test century came in 1996, and his career-high 340 against India in August 1997 was the highest score by a Sri Lankan until 2006 and part of the highest team total (952/6) in Test cricket. He also scored double centuries of 213 against England and 253 against Pakistan. His 157 against Zimbabwe in 2004 is the second-fastest century by a Sri Lankan.

He scored centuries against every Test nation except New Zealand and West Indies. In ODIs, he made his first century in 1994 against New Zealand and holds the most ODI centuries for Sri Lanka (28), fourth overall behind Virat Kohli (50), Sachin Tendulkar (49), Ricky Ponting (30), and Rohit Sharma (29). His 134 against Pakistan in 1996 was the fastest ODI century at the time, at a strike rate of 206.15. His 189 against India in 2000 is the sixth-highest ODI score.

His 157 against the Netherlands in 2006 helped set the world record ODI team total of 443/9. At 39 years and 212 days, he became the oldest player to score an ODI century, a record later surpassed by Khurram Khan. He also became the second player to score over 13,000 ODI runs. He holds the record for the fourth-fastest 150 in ODIs, making 152 off 99 balls against England in 2006.

Records and career achievements

Jayasuriya has scored 19,298 runs as an opener in international cricket, the most by any opener. He is the only cricketer to achieve the all-rounder double of 10,000 runs and 300 wickets in a single format. He was the first to score an ODI century in less than 50 balls, doing so in 48 balls against Pakistan in 1996. He is the highest wicket-taker among left-arm spinners in ODIs, with 323 wickets at an average of 36.75, including 12 four-wicket hauls.

His 189 against India in 2000 is the second-highest ODI innings by a Sri Lankan and accounted for 64% of Sri Lanka's total and 54% of the match total; India were all out for 54, meaning he outscored the opposition by 135 runs. His 28 ODI centuries are the most by a Sri Lankan. He scored 571 runs in a two-match Test series against India in 1997, the most in a two-match series. His 340 against India in 1997 is the highest Test score against India, the second-highest by a Sri Lankan, and the eighth-highest in Test cricket.

He batted for 799 minutes, the fourth-longest Test innings and the longest in the Indian subcontinent. He and Roshan Mahanama hold the record for the highest second-wicket partnership in Tests (576 runs against India in 1997), the second-highest partnership for any wicket. He was the first Sri Lankan and second from the Indian subcontinent to score a Test triple century. At various points, he held world records for the fastest 50, fastest 100, and fastest 150 in ODIs.