Mahela Jayawardene

Lore & Background

Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to win the 2008 Asia Cup. He scored the first century by a Sri Lankan in ICC Men's T20 World Cup history, making 100 runs against Zimbabwe in the 2010 tournament. He made his Test debut in August 1997 and his ODI debut in January 1998. In 2006, he and Kumar Sangakkara set the highest partnership in first-class cricket, 624 runs for the third wicket against South Africa. He is the first Sri Lankan to score over 10,000 Test runs and the second Sri Lankan to score over 10,000 ODI runs. His highest Test score of 374 is the highest by a right-handed batsman in Test history. He and Sangakkara hold the record for most career partnership runs for the 3rd wicket in Tests (5,890 runs). He was a key member of the teams that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, and was part of teams that reached the finals of the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups, and the 2009 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20s. He was named ICC International Captain of the Year in 2006 and nominated for Best Test Player of the Year in 2007. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in November 2021.

In Their Own Story

The playoffs presented a stark test for Jayawardene's side. In the Eliminator, his team faced Gujarat Titans and secured a vital victory to stay alive in the tournament. However, the momentum was halted in Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings, resulting in a defeat that ended their title defense hopes. Throughout this journey, the support staff included Paras Mhambrey as bowling coach and Carl Hopkinson as fielding coach, replacing James Pamment. While Suryakumar Yadav shone with 717 runs and Trent Boult claimed 22 wickets, Jayawardene's role was to orchestrate the team's response to both their winning streaks and playoff exits.

Reader's Guide

Jayawardene currently serves as Chairman of the Sri Lanka National Sports Council. He also works as an international TV commentator and serves as a board member in several unlisted public limited companies in Sri Lanka. He has been a vocal critic of Sri Lanka Cricket, especially after 2015.

Did You Know?

• Jayawardene was the first Sri Lankan to score a century in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
• He and Kumar Sangakkara hold the record for the highest partnership in first-class cricket: 624 runs.
• His Test score of 374 is the highest by a right-handed batsman in Test cricket history.
• He scored a century in the 2011 World Cup final, but not in a semi-final; several other batsmen have achieved centuries in both a World Cup semi-final and final.
• He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in November 2021, the third Sri Lankan after Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara.