Appreciate the genius of Jayasuriya before he bows out

Profiles / Andrew Hughes / 28 February 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andrew Hughes looks back at the phenomenal career of Sanath Jayasuriya and tells us why he expects the left-handed opener to retire pretty soon

With Australia and India already booked for the Commonwealth Bank Final, the host's tussle with Sri Lanka on Friday is what used to be known as a dead rubber. Now dead rubbers, unlike dead parrots, are notoriously unpredictable and it is not difficult to understand why. Sportspeople are used to playing in high-pressure situations. When the pressure is off, some will relax and raise their game, while others will take their foot off the gas. Given the volume of cricket these days, players could be forgiven for holding back a little in a meaningless match. Indeed, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Aussies rest a few players, given that they've been on the go since November and may still face a jaunt to Pakistan next month. It is advisable to wait until the teams are confirmed before parting with any money on this one.

One player who won't be taking the game lightly is Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya. At the age of 37, having already retired from Test cricket, he will be savouring every match as though it is his last. And when he does finally hang up his cricket boots, he deserves to be remembered as one of the most influential cricketers of the modern era.

He is a modest and likeable man who's apparently permanent sunny demeanour suggests a love of the game and of the entertainment he brings to every match he plays in. His philosophy of batting includes only one word: 'attack'. A short man with powerful forearms, his audacious savagery on both sides of the wicket is exhilarating. There is an element of raw danger about his batting, in his slashing upper cuts over point and his short-arm jabs high over square leg.

Beginning in 1989, his international career has spanned a period of dramatic change in Sri Lankan cricket, from a game that was confined to the environs of Colombo to one that has island wide appeal. His background, coming as he does from the poorer south of the region, has helped enormously in spreading the religion of cricket to parts that it didn't previously reach.

But he will be remembered most of all for his breathtaking batting at the 1996 World Cup. Promoted from a lower order leg spinner to open the batting as a pinch-hitter, he bludgeoned the world's best bowlers to all corners and redefined the way that one day cricket would be played from then on. He has his share of landmarks and records too, perhaps most notably, his world record of 247 sixes in one day cricket.

Sadly, it appears that the end of his international career may be nigh. After a successful World Cup in which he averaged 46.70, his form has slumped alarmingly and he has only averaged 14.84 since then, his last half-century coming twenty-one games ago in the World Cup final. Though he has maintained his physical fitness, his reflexes are not as sharp as they were and in this current CB series he has alternated between hesitancy and recklessness. Indeed, Sri Lanka's recurring failure to get off to a good start in their innings has been a major factor in their failure in this tournament. With only three one day matches in the West Indies to follow this spring and then the Asian Cup in June, it would not be a surprise to see him bow out after this match. In which case it would be fitting to see him sparkle one more time.

The Melbourne pitch, however, is likely to have the last laugh. Poor weather has produced a number of low slow tracks and the MCG has been no exception. Two games there so far in this tournament have seen Australia dismissed for 159 against India and restricted to 184-7 from fifty overs against the Sri Lankans. Poor batting pitches can be great levellers and given all the uncertainty over line-ups and how the lack of pressure might affect individuals, the percentage call has to be to side with Sri Lanka at [4.2] rather than the predictably short-priced Australia at [1.3]