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Is Sanath Jayasuriya one of All-Time Greats in ODIs or just a Sri Lankan great?

Dr_Bassim said:
Did you even see Tendulkar and Ganguly bat early on in their careers?

They had more impact than Amla.

Stop watching the Tendulkar of 2011 plus and making random judgments.

Tendulkar and Sehwag were equally explosive in their careers and Tendulkar had even higher consistency than Sehwag which is why he is rated so high by almost everyone.

Ganguly in his prime was a superb batsmen too, much more able to change gears than the one-dimensional Amla.
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Tendulkar was the only player to hit 50 sixes ina calendar year before 2000. He played the role of consolidator and aggressor
 
SLcric123 said:
His stats dont do justice to his stature in odis given the sort of impact he had and the way he revolutionised odi batting in 90s and emerged as a destructive opener.

Was a lot more than just a part time spinner and won the semis of 96 with the bowl vs India after winning QF vs England with the bat.

Also, <B>how would you compare him vs another SL great Aravinda de Silva?</B>
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Interesting. Everyone seems to have missed it. Tough call there tbh but I think I will still pick Jaya over him.
 
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/magazine/sri-lanka-sanath-jayasuriya-world-cup-1996-ranatunga-muralitharan-sachin-tendulkar-vinod-kambli-cricket-interviews/article34085001.ece

Sanath Jayasuriya is 51, but as he starts speaking about Sri Lanka’s historic World Cup win of 1996, he walks back in time. One of the swashbuckling openers of his time, Jayasuriya distinctly remembers each and every moment from that tournament and how a bunch of boys led by Arjuna Ranatunga overcame the odds to turn things around for the island nation.

March 17, 2021, marks the 25th anniversary of that iconic final when Sri Lanka stunned Australia in Lahore to clinch its only World Cup title, and Jayasuriya is all nostalgic. In Raipur for the 2020-21 Road Safety World Series, the former Sri Lankan captain reminisces about the days gone by in an exclusive chat with Sportstar.

How does it feel to be back in action after so long?

It’s great to be part of this league and to also play for Sri Lanka Legends. I have been retired from international cricket for almost 10 years now, so I am looking forward to meeting my colleagues who have played with me for long – Indians, Bangladeshis, West Indians. It’s really nice to be with them.

In the times of the new normal, how challenging is the bio-bubble?

It’s a new experience for the cricketers. They have never seen such a thing before. But the game has to continue, and for that we need to come up with new ideas which will ensure that the players are safe. This bubble concept is a good thing, even though at times the players might find it a bit difficult. Now, international cricketers need to adjust to this, and I am sure that they are slowly getting used to it. After all, they are professionals and they know the importance of playing the game and representing their country.

This marks the 25th year of Sri Lanka’s only World Cup win in 1996. When you look back at that historic final against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, what are the memories that come in?

It actually feels like yesterday! We can’t even imagine that it has been 25 years since that final. How time flies! I cherish every bit of it. When we came into the tournament, we did not even think that we would reach the semifinal. Our initial target was to qualify for the last-four stage, but we displayed our own brand of cricket. We did not try anything else and just played our natural game. It was the best thing to have happened. In my 20-year international career, I have banked on my natural game and it was similar during the World Cup. I was fully backed by the team management and the teammates, including captain Arjuna (Ranatunga), Aravinda (de Silva), Duleep Mendis the manager, Dav (Whatmore) who was the coach. It was a nice feeling. It was a small 14-member unit and slowly it became like one family. We were bit down in that World Cup when Australia and the West Indies did not turn up in Sri Lanka (citing security issues), and we were thankful to India and Pakistan for visiting Sri Lanka and showing solidarity. Those things gave us a lot of motivation and courage to do well in the World Cup.

That World Cup was not just about Sri Lanka winning the title, but it was also about a certain Sanath Jayasuriya. At the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, you went hammer and tongs at Manoj Prabhakar, who later had to switch to off-spin. What was going on in your mind? In those days, chasing 272 was not easy...

In the team meetings, I often said that I was a bit scared to play Prabhakar. He was someone who could generate swing – reverse or conventional. During our interaction with Arjuna, I asked him how to tackle Prabhakar, and he said, “Don’t worry. You know how to play. Just play your natural game; even if you get out, there is nothing to worry about. You just observe him and play accordingly.” Those words of encouragement actually helped me. I thought that there was nothing to lose, and if we had to win that game against India, I had to take risks. I took a calculated risk with Prabhakar, and whatever shots I played, they connected really well. It boosted my confidence and also helped me face the other pacers quite comfortably.

You have played under multiple captains and also led Sri Lanka later. What do you think made the 1996 squad so special? In those times, many even compared Arjuna Ranatunga to Pakistan legend Imran Khan, who too had guided a young team to a World Cup win, in 1992.

Yes, Arjuna is to Sri Lanka what Imran was to Pakistan! He is the one who started mentoring the young team and looked after the outstation players who were not from Colombo. I came from down south, Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) came from Kandy, some others came from other corners. In those days, it was very difficult for players from other cities to come and stay in Colombo, and Arjuna allowed the players to stay at his home. So, those things gave all of us a lot of strength because we knew that someone like Arjuna – who was a father figure – was there to look after us. When it came to cricket, we knew that we had to play well and play hard. Arjuna wanted us to play hard and that’s why we got along well, and with Aravinda around, there was a lot to play for. Just before the World Cup, when Murali was called out for chucking, Arjuna was the one to look after him. And he backed Murali all the way and he even accompanied Murali for the inquiry commissions and would stand by him. So, we knew that he was always there for us, so we were confident because we were secure under him.

In that World Cup, you and Romesh Kaluwitharana changed the approach to opening the innings. Today, we have so many swashbuckling openers, but you were someone who displayed the fiery brand of cricket across formats. How did you manage that?

That was how I started playing at the school level. In Sri Lanka, we have a good school cricket setup and I played in the school teams in under-11, under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels and I banked on my natural game. My coach never stopped me from playing shots, but it was important to play smart from time to time. When you get a start, it was important to convert it into a big score and not throw away the wicket. Sometimes, I had to take one step back and take the back gear – that’s how things were. I was never an opening batsman, I would always come in at No. 3 or No. 4, but Arjuna thought that we should play our natural game in the first 15 overs and that’s why I was promoted up the order. He asked me one day, “Can you open the innings?” I said yeah. I was anyway not doing much at No. 7 or No. 8, and was more of a half-bowler and half-batsman. I took that risk and opened the innings; there was no looking back after and I continued to open for Sri Lanka in the next 15-20 years. I played my natural game – in Tests and ODIs (One-Day Internationals). Even if I saw a ball outside the off-stump, I would go for my shots. That’s how it should be. But someone like a Marvan Atapattu wouldn’t have done that and he would have left that delivery. So, my game was different and I was successful.

When the tournament started in 1996, not many thought Sri Lanka would go so far. But things changed in the knockout stage. Could share some memories of the semifinal in Eden Gardens and also the final in Lahore?

More than the final, the semifinal was the key. It was a matter of pride for us to reach the semifinal for the first time – Sri Lanka had never reached there before, so it was a big achievement for us. We knew it would be very difficult to play at Eden Gardens, where there will be a hundred thousand spectators and a lot of noise. The support would be for India and we were aware of it. Everyone favoured India, but we had nothing to lose, so we took the field as underdogs. Before the game, Arjuna and the coaches told us not to worry and enjoy the game. We were told not to think about the uncontrollable – the crowd, the support, the noise. So, for us the only way forward was to play our natural game.

We lost the toss, and on that day I was caught at third man – an area which is otherwise my comfort zone. Kalu, too, got out. But it was Aravinda who played a gem of an innings, and the collective efforts of Roshan Mahanama, Arjuna, Hashan (Tillakaratne) helped us put up a fighting total on that surface. When we were defending the total, we thought that 256 was not enough – especially with Sachin (Tendulkar), (Sanjay) Manjrekar and (Mohammad) Azharuddin around. There were so many good players – (Vinod) Kambli, (Ajay) Jadeja – in that Indian team, so we knew that it would be difficult. Sachin started really well, and suddenly Arjuna asked me to bowl and we realised that there was something on the surface, and we started bowling on the rough patch. That actually paid off as Sachin was stumped and slowly even Jadeja and Manjrekar departed. Kumar Dharmasena and Aravinda claimed one wicket each and that’s when we started believing that we could win this game. The ball was turning and we kept our cool and eventually made it to the final.

From that very day when Australia did not come to Sri Lanka, Arjuna told us that “I want to face Australia in the final.” And that’s what happened in Lahore. We desperately wanted to win that game, but we were not willing to go overboard and show our emotions. We took it as another game and played our natural game. That simplicity worked and the rest is history.

Today, when you watch cricket, does anyone remind you of your younger self?

There are quite a few. A lot of Indian players are there, along with some West Indies players. I played with Chris Gayle and he is still playing. I see the Indian players coming in and playing quite a few shots – they are successful! T20 (Twenty20) cricket has changed the whole scenario and players are a lot more confident playing their shots. Even the top-pitched (deliveries) seem like going over the rope. Sri Lanka’s Kusal Janith (Perera) is another cricketer who can play a lot of shots.

Many have found similarities between you and Rishabh Pant...

He is not scared to play shots – that’s a good thing. If you play half-heartedly and you are in the middle of nowhere, you don’t get anywhere. He is a kind of player who can win you matches if he gets off to a good start. That’s the basic thing you want from match-winners like him. If he starts well, he will be the match-winner, and Pant clears the boundaries at ease. He does not play half-hearted shots, and he often goes for straight hitting, which is a very good thing. He is a natural talent who knows how to play smart cricket.

At a time when we are celebrating 25 years of that iconic World Cup win, things don’t look too impressive for Sri Lankan cricket. The team drew flak after losing the home series against England. Are you saddened to see such a poor show?

It is disappointing when you are losing in Sri Lanka. We know our conditions and we usually do well on a few grounds – especially in Galle – so losing both games there was disappointing. Our boys are capable. They need to have a proper mindset and not think about other things. There will be criticism when you are not playing well, but you have to accept it.

When we were kids, we would get copies of The Sportstar in Sri Lanka and that’s how we would get to know about what’s happening in the West Indies. But now, things have changed. Now, news travels fast – there is social media where you are praised and also criticised. So, as players, you need to absorb all these things and filter out the negatives. You need to focus. Unfortunately, the Sri Lanka cricketers are going through bad times and I hope the technical committee that has been appointed does the right thing to bring back the game in its old form. People in Sri Lanka are crazy about cricket – they eat, drink and sleep the game, but now that has stopped. We again need to bring that craze back with some good showing.

Sri Lanka cricket enjoyed tremendous success between 1996 and 1999 and again between 2004 and 2011. But with a bunch of legendary cricketers – including Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – retiring, the transition seems to have taken a bit too long...

We need one of the players from the new generation to come in and fit into those shoes. We have the talent and we need to look after them and give them the confidence. They should know how to handle the pressure and play their natural game. With media, social media constantly watching you, it is not easy, but they need to absorb the pressure and stay positive.

Not just in international cricket, the Sri Lankan cricketers seem to have lost the plot in franchise cricket as well. This time, no Sri Lankan cricketers were picked for the Indian Premier League (IPL) – a first in the history of the tournament...

That’s definitely a disappointment. The world has seen that our cricket has been a bit down, so the team owners must be worried. So, it is up to the players now. If they need to be (in the IPL), they need to perform. They need to understand why they are not there in IPL or any other leagues. If they are not selected, that means the cricket has gone down and the world is not wanting the Sri Lankan players in the leagues anymore. They should make it happen. The players will have to do it.

The poor show against England prompted the island nation to appoint a technical committee – headed by Aravinda de Silva – to look after its cricketing affairs. How do you see this?

That way it is good – something positive has happened. They will look after all the cricketing matters, they will negotiate with the coaching staff and the management. That committee is very important. Everyone wants cricket to be at a high level in Sri Lanka and I think this committee will take us where we were earlier.

You were away from the game for a couple of years due to an ICC (International Cricket Council) suspension. Now that the suspension is over, how do you plan to associate yourself with the game?

It (the whole episode) was a bit unfortunate, not for anything else, but it was for the delay in handing my phone (to the investigating team). I did everything required and I am now cleared. I did nothing wrong. Now, I need to make sure that I am involved in the game – which I was previously. I would love to be with the cricketers and earn back my lost reputation. In future, in whatever way I can contribute – internationally or nationally for Sri Lanka – I will be there.
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Certainly an ATG in ODI's. IMO if he was in today's cricket with 2 new balls he would have been more destructive than Rohit Sharma. Plus he was a very good spinner as well but his links to match-fixing have tainted his reputation since his retirement.
 
I would rank him as the third greatest ODI opener of all time after Tendulkar and Rohit.

Sensational cricketer.
 
He has a poor record against top teams like Aus and SA. Made a career by smashing Prasad and Kuruvilla. He would have averaged 28 if not for weak bowling bashing and would have been Upul Tharanga level batsman.
 
I wouldn't call him a great ODI batsman but as an overall package = Batting + bowling + fielding = he was terrific.
 
He could even win games with the ball. Remember he got important wickets in the semi finals against India 1996.
 
peak jayasuriya, 96 to 08, was a world class odi all rounder, would he make an all time world xi, as a spin bowling all rounder you could argue the case, but not as an opener alone.
 
Jayasuriya is someone whos final stats dont give him justice. He revolutionised ODI cricket with his pinch hitting aggressive approach. Just for changing the way ODI opening was approached he is an ATG for that and he paved the way for teams to back aggressive dashers at the top instead of the old school see off the new ball mentality and slog at the end in ODIs. Also drove SL a previously minnow nation to being world champs. You could say hes like one of them ATG Boxers or MMA fighters who end up staying on for too many fights which ends up hurting their final win loss record. Which is why his average did dip in latter years. But for what he did in the game and how he changed it . Defo an ATG. Also he was a very good bowler in LOIs too. Cricket isnt merely Cricinfo Statsguru
 
Mamoon said:
I would rank him as the third greatest ODI opener of all time after Tendulkar and Rohit.

Sensational cricketer.
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If Sanath played in the same era as Rohit he would've surpassed Rohit quite easily IMO with 2 new balls & field restrictions.
 
Epitome of a player that shouldn't be judged by stats alone. Miles ahead of his time if he was playing now i wonder how many crores ipl would throw at him.
 
One of those batsmen who redefined the art of opening in white ball cricket. Whereas many used to aim to simply blunt the new ball, Sanath saw the first 15 overs as best time to attack.

Was vicious square of the wicket, so quick to punish anything fractionally short or wide. Handy bowler too.

An innings I remember vividly was an ODI vs ENG at Headingley in 2006 where he and Tharanga made a mockery of a chase of 320. Then there was the innings in Singapore after the 96 WC but didn't see it live.
 
Sanath Jayasuriya is a huge icon of white ball Cricket. In the late 1990s, the name alone sent waves of terror through the opposition camp.

Before Jayasuriya-Kaly revolution, most teams defended their way to 40th over with measely 150-160 something on board and then they would hope they would successfully slog their way to a 'respectable' total of 240 something.

In came Jayasuriya, smashing everything at sight!!
70/0 in 7 overs!!
95/1 in 10 overs!!
120/2 in 15 overs!!

That little phase from 1996 to 2000, was by far the most exciting phase of white ball cricket ever!

Back to the question, for the above, Jayasuriya is without question a white ball cricket legend. He changed the way the game was being played in the first few overs, a style that has once again gone out of fashion as teams have become better over all aggressively and don't necessarily have to utilise first 15 overs to makena difference. Nowadays teams have players from 1-8 that can smash it at any point in the match, so no strategic pinch hitting like 1990s is required now.
 
People select loud mouthed Sehwag in their world XI team as an opener

And forget we have Jayasurya who also can demolish any lesser than best bowling attacks , plus he is guaranteed 10 overs spinner (except in his late career)
+ very safe fielder

ODI ATG for sure
But may be shadowed now because he is not associated with Indian team, otherwise just behind Sachin
 
My modern day (1996-2007) world 11 without any bias:

Jayasurya (left Hayden, as wanted to have a good second spinner)
Gilchrist (wk)
Ponting (c)
Sachin (down to 4 , to play spinners)
Inzy (left Kallis, as we have attacking Symonds , Flintoff, etc.) (can play spinners and attack spinners as well)
Symonds
Flintoff
Yuvraj Singh
Wasim
Mcgrath
Warne
 
silentkiller187 said:
Epitome of a player that shouldn't be judged by stats alone. Miles ahead of his time if he was playing now i wonder how many crores ipl would throw at him.
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IPL bought him at high price , but then he was left with only 1 or 2 years

Don't see him these days because of his pretty bad English speaking and his personal controversies, and then SL cricket is nothing better than Pak cricket politics
 
Mamoon said:
I would rank him as the third greatest ODI opener of all time after Tendulkar and Rohit.

Sensational cricketer.
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Rohit Sharma is amazing player but then we have Steve Smith and previously had KP

Modern day batting (after start of T20 and leagues become lot easier with field restrictions , new balls at both ends, shorter grounds)

Era of 1996-2003 played the toughest bat , bowl competition (with world class bowlers and batsman) Except Australia, all other 5 teams switched rankings frequently

And, Jayasurya was ATG of ODI
 
ODIs : Jayasurya > Kallis
Tests : Kallis > Jayasurya
T20 : Both pathetic or were left with only 1/2 years to dominate

If you are selecting your world XI, then both Jayasuya and Kallis can play
 
32 average tells all you have to know. If he plays today, he will not get Prasad and Kuruvilla to deal with.
 
Ab Fan said:
32 average tells all you have to know. If he plays today, he will not get Prasad and Kuruvilla to deal with.
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There are more Prasad and Kuruvilla kind of bowlers today , isn't it?
In 90s,a nd early 2000 there used to be : Akram, Waqar, Akhtar, Lee, Pollock, Donald, Ambrose, Walsh, Mcgrath, Elworthy, Caddick, Darryl Tuffy, Shane Bond, Gillispie, Zaheer Khan , Darren Gough, Simon Jones, Warne, Makhay Ntini (he was also very good fast bowler), Vettori, Kumble, Johnson (even Sanath played against Johnson)

What we have today?

Starc, Bumrah, Anderson, (few same type of English bowlers )... what else?
Today we do not have any quality half decent leg spinner of Warne's caliber
 
Absolutely brilliant player, and for me he is ATG because he is one of those very few cricketers, like Shane Warne, who built a huge legacy for themselves by changing the very nature of their role. Role of opening batsman in ODI cricket was never the same once Jayasurya started opening. Is there any team today that won't love to have Jayasurya of 1996-2006 as its opening batsman? Perhaps England/India -50/50 but rest all teams would have him as first choice opener. That speaks a lot about his greatness.
 
A decent White ball option , when you consider his bowling ability as well.

Would be part of all time Sri Lanka XI in OD

In best Asia OD XI , I would have have him .
 
iniqbal223 said:
There are more Prasad and Kuruvilla kind of bowlers today , isn't it?
In 90s,a nd early 2000 there used to be : Akram, Waqar, Akhtar, Lee, Pollock, Donald, Ambrose, Walsh, Mcgrath, Elworthy, Caddick, Darryl Tuffy, Shane Bond, Gillispie, Zaheer Khan , Darren Gough, Simon Jones, Warne, Makhay Ntini (he was also very good fast bowler), Vettori, Kumble, Johnson (even Sanath played against Johnson)

What we have today?

Starc, Bumrah, Anderson, (few same type of English bowlers )... what else?
Today we do not have any quality half decent leg spinner of Warne's caliber
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Tendulkar from same era averaged 45, Lara averaged 42, Anwar 39, Mark Waugh 40, Jaya only 32 and his record is poor vs Aus and SA bowlers you mentioned. He feasted on Indian bowlers of that time. It was so annoying watching him in childhood because we didn't had a half decent bowler and SC wickets were pattas also.
 
Ab Fan said:
32 average tells all you have to know. If he plays today, he will not get Prasad and Kuruvilla to deal with.
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Come on bro, you should atleast increase the average and strike rate by 10 points when you analyse 90s era player by current stipulations. But obviously this should be the case in odis not tests.

You can think of Jaya as a 42 avg 105 str rate opener, now combine this with his bowling ability, he definitely is an atg
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
Come on bro, you should atleast increase the average and strike rate by 10 points when you analyse 90s era player by current stipulations. But obviously this should be the case in odis not tests.

You can think of Jaya as a 42 avg 105 str rate opener, now combine this with his bowling ability, he definitely is an atg
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42 average is Guptill level batsman.
 
The only reason why people remember Sanath is because of his strike rate during a time when an 80SR was considered good.

Otherwise, if you look at his batting record, it's nothing short of terrible. His averages against major teams:

Australia: 22
Pakistan: 33
India: 36
NZ: 34
SA: 24
Eng: 37
WI: 33
Zim: 27

If you want to simply look at Sanath as a batsman, then he should nowhere be near any ATG batsman discussion.

As an allrounder, a 32 batting average with 323 wickets is more than decent. I would be more accepting of him being debated in the allrounder category than in the batsman one.
 
21,032 runs and 440 wickets for Sri Lanka across all formats Happy Birthday to Sanath Jayasuriya - 52 years old today
 
One of Sri Lanka's greatest match-winners, he could deflate opposition attacks quickly.

A happy 55th birthday to Sanath Jayasuriya

21,032 International Runs
440 International Wickets
1996 World Cup Winner
 
When you talk about heroes of World Cups? The impact on ODI cricket and bringing in revolutionary change, Sanath would always be mentioned among the top 10.
People with just statsguru at hand without understanding the context will not understand 96 World Cup and how meaningful it was for laying the foundation of South Asia as a powerhouse of cricket.
 
Sanath Jayasuriya is an ATG , anybody who doesn't rates him has no understanding of cricket, he was a visionary arguably the one who paved the way for T20 cricket not to mention his 300+ LOI wickets, bowlers like Akram and Waqar had genuine fear of Jayasuriya rest aside the other trundlers from subcontinent or E&WCB.

Jayasuruya was elegant yet brutal
 
To me he is an ATG. His inititial career where he was batting down the order was ordinary. But ever since he started opening, he took the world by storm. He was the Chris Gayle of the 90's.
 
Jayasuriya is an all time great in ODIs. He transformed the game and opening batting . ODIs used to be sluggish before that and teams only accelerated in the final overs.

Jayasuriya laid a template that others followed and built up on.
 
Definitely ATG. He revolutionised ODI batting - playing T20 at a time when people played tests in odis. Ask any Indian fan of 90s and they will shudder if you speak his name and for a good reason. He was a monster who could not be stopped and took the game away within the first ten overs
 
Sanath is an ATG.

He is the greatest ODI all-rounder of all time for me. He took 323 ODI wickets and scored 13000+ ODI runs. Also, he won the 1996 WC along with 2002 CT.
 
Jayasuriya was a weak bowling basher and nothing more. The only reason he is celebrated is because in subcontinent conditions, the weak bowling basher went all the way and won the World Cup for his team.

Take a case of Shivam Dube, he is a weak spin bowling basher and a lefty who has won a World T20 now. All he needs to do is bully in bilaterals and the next generation will celebrate him as a T20I legend.
 
Ab Fan said:
Jayasuriya was a weak bowling basher and nothing more. The only reason he is celebrated is because in subcontinent conditions, the weak bowling basher went all the way and won the World Cup for his team.

Take a case of Shivam Dube, he is a weak spin bowling basher and a lefty who has won a World T20 now. All he needs to do is bully in bilaterals and the next generation will celebrate him as a T20I legend.
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Bilaterals aren't the same now as they were then. They were the pinnacle of cricket back in Jaysuriya's days.

Dube is a weak player in a strong team. Jayasuria was probably the strongest player in a weak team.

Cricket had a hell of a lot of competitive series and tri series etc through that era. Jayasuriya has an amazing average and SR in those games for his side plus picked up handy wickets.
 
Both Jayasuriya and Aravinda are ATGs. It is just that the Big 3 have the biggest megaphones, fan base and media influence, so they don't get due recognition.
 
CricketCartoons said:
Both Jayasuriya and Aravinda are ATGs. It is just that the Big 3 have the biggest megaphones, fan base and media influence, so they don't get due recognition.
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:ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :nonstop::nonstop:Jayasuriya gets plenty of respect and recognition. Just because its not discussed in your circle doesn't mean rest of the world is oblivious to facts
 
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Statpadder Inc said:
Jayasuriya was a bonafide atg in odis, revolutionised the game.

I remember having an argument with a young fan who told me Kallis was a better odi allrounder because muh stats
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Haha Kallis.

He used to make SA lose matches with his slowmo batting.
 
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Oh ODI ATG.

There’s ODI batting before and after Sanath.

Simplistic as it may seem now but accelerating in the first 5-10 overs of an ODI wasn’t that much of a thing until he made it so.

And he made some of us Indian fans shed tears of blood, he and Kaluwitharana in that WC game.

Magnificent player.
 

For those who never watch him live, wont understand his aura and legacy , he can roar anytime anywhere any bowler
 
Hitman said:
I'll never forget how he treated us particularly in the year 1997.
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Lol, he gave me my one of my memorable “How can he slap” moments in a lifetime of watching the game.

All sports fans the world over have such moments. Sanath ‘contributed’ to my memory bank.
 
Cryin Out Loud said:
Lol, he gave me my one of my memorable “How can he slap” moments in a lifetime of watching the game.

All sports fans the world over have such moments. Sanath ‘contributed’ to my memory bank.
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He forced the joke of a fast bowler in our team by the name of Manoj Prabhakar bowl spin to him after being mercilessly mauled in the 96' WC. Served him right, that match fixing piece of scum.​
 
Hitman said:
He forced the joke of a fast bowler in our team by the name of Manoj Prabhakar bowl spin to him after being mercilessly mauled in the 96' WC. Served him right, that match fixing piece of scum.​
Click to expand...

Oh yes I remember Prabhakar.

Viv Richards apparently said this about him, an immortal line “The only man who ran in faster than his bowling”.

I’ve always read that in my head in a Caribbean accent.
 
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25 most destructive batters of all time
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