PakPassion is delighted to present an exclusive interview with former Sri Lankan all rounder Sanath Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya made his One Day International debut against Australia at Melbourne on December 26, 1989 and his Test debut against New Zealand at Hamilton in February, 1991. Jayasuriya is the only player to score more than 13,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in One Day Internationals and is regarded as one of the best all rounders in the history of Limited overs cricket.
Along with his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana, Jayasuriya revolutionized One Day International batting with his aggressive tactics during the 1996 Cricket World Cup, a strategy they first tried on the preceding tour of Australia.
He held the records for the fastest fifty (against Pakistan in 17 balls), fastest 100 (against Pakistan in 48 balls) and fastest 150 (against England in 95 balls) in ODI cricket. Though he lost the fastest 100 to Shahid Afridi and fastest 150 to Shane Watson, he still holds the record for the fastest fifty. Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar are the only players in history to have 4 ODI scores over 150.
He was also named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1997 and served as captain of the Sri Lankan team in 38 Test matches from 1999 to 2003.
Jayasuriya announced his intention to retire from Test cricket following the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka in April 2006. He reversed his decision soon after, however, joining the Sri Lankan cricket team in England in May 2006. Missing the first two Tests, Jayasuriya returned in the Third Test at Trent Bridge.
After scoring 78 runs on day three of the first Test against England in Kandy in 2007, he announced he was to retire from Test cricket at the end of the match. In that innings he hit six fours in one over against James Anderson.
He also scored 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries in the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies. In 2008, his one-day career was all but over when he was omitted for the ODIs in the West Indies. However, a stirring performance in the IPL—finishing the third-highest run-getter with 514 runs—prompted his country's sports minister to intervene in his selection for the Asia Cup. He ultimately shaped Sri Lanka's title victory with a blistering hundred under pressure.
His election as a Member of Parliament in April 2010 and his subsequent failure at the World Twenty20 suggested that his international career may be at an end, but he made the longlist for the 30-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, before being recalled to the one-day side for the series in England two weeks shy of his 42nd birthday.
Jayasuriya made his One Day International debut against Australia at Melbourne on December 26, 1989 and his Test debut against New Zealand at Hamilton in February, 1991. Jayasuriya is the only player to score more than 13,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in One Day Internationals and is regarded as one of the best all rounders in the history of Limited overs cricket.
Along with his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana, Jayasuriya revolutionized One Day International batting with his aggressive tactics during the 1996 Cricket World Cup, a strategy they first tried on the preceding tour of Australia.
He held the records for the fastest fifty (against Pakistan in 17 balls), fastest 100 (against Pakistan in 48 balls) and fastest 150 (against England in 95 balls) in ODI cricket. Though he lost the fastest 100 to Shahid Afridi and fastest 150 to Shane Watson, he still holds the record for the fastest fifty. Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar are the only players in history to have 4 ODI scores over 150.
He was also named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1997 and served as captain of the Sri Lankan team in 38 Test matches from 1999 to 2003.
Jayasuriya announced his intention to retire from Test cricket following the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka in April 2006. He reversed his decision soon after, however, joining the Sri Lankan cricket team in England in May 2006. Missing the first two Tests, Jayasuriya returned in the Third Test at Trent Bridge.
After scoring 78 runs on day three of the first Test against England in Kandy in 2007, he announced he was to retire from Test cricket at the end of the match. In that innings he hit six fours in one over against James Anderson.
He also scored 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries in the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies. In 2008, his one-day career was all but over when he was omitted for the ODIs in the West Indies. However, a stirring performance in the IPL—finishing the third-highest run-getter with 514 runs—prompted his country's sports minister to intervene in his selection for the Asia Cup. He ultimately shaped Sri Lanka's title victory with a blistering hundred under pressure.
His election as a Member of Parliament in April 2010 and his subsequent failure at the World Twenty20 suggested that his international career may be at an end, but he made the longlist for the 30-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, before being recalled to the one-day side for the series in England two weeks shy of his 42nd birthday.