Jayasuriya - Great Entertainer , Underrated bowler

With Muttiah Muralitharan getting the world record and Sangakkara also creating a record by scoring more than 150 in four consecutive tests the retirement of Sanath Jayasuriya almost went unnoticed. But today when Kevin Peiterson started bowling his gentle off spinners I started to realize how valuable Jayasuriya was to the Sri Lanka Team as a bowler and a person. I guess most of us knew it , but the extent of his influence will only be realized after he has left one day cricket as well.He had this buzz around him where you always get the feeling something was about to happen, That childish exuberance you’ll hardly find in a thirty eight year old.Looking at the dull affair of a test match today I missed that whole heartedly.

With a test average around 40 and one day average in the low 30’s gives you the impression of a more than useful batsman , but not of a great batsman , But the stats doesn’t tell you the whole story of Jayasuriya’s batting , This is a player who terrorized new ball bowlers and at his peak was almost unstoppable. And don’t forget that he was the cause of some retirements as well , most notable being Manoj Prabhakar of India. He and Kalu are credited for revolutionizing one day batting , but Sanath was the one who consistently performed that role for Sri Lanka. In the last year or so his test batting was not up to the standards , so for me his decision to retire from tests was a timely one. Hopefully he can play for Sri Lanka for another two years , and after his international career is over he will be remembered as humble person who achieved great deeds.