THE MASTER
Sanath Jayasurya deserves to be called the best opening batsman Srilanka has ever had, not only due to his aggressive massacre of the bowlers, but also due to his ability to play sensible well placed innings. He is not at all a violent hitter of the cricket ball, but a good, powerful timer of the ball, but the power behind each shot of him makes him a destroyer.
There is no wonder if any bowler may have some psychological problems after bowling one over to this man. Sleepless nights and hallucinations for the bowlers! Have no doubt in the mind, this is one man who can turn the whole game around - he has shown it in the first match against India in the Indian Oil Cup, stealing the victory away from the Indians (or taking something that was granted?).
CROSSING THE LIMITS
These days may be even more memorable to him because he crossed the magic mark of 10, 000 runs in One Dayers becoming the first Srilankan and the fourth in the world to do so, following the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq and the Indian captain Saurav Ganguly. Even after getting past the 10, 000 run mark, he still has a long way to go as the centre of the Srilankan batting power.
Most of the success of Srilankan team always had some contribution from this man, whether it is in batting or bowling. Considered as one of the most dangerous batsmen especially in the first fifteen overs, with the field restrictions on, had played a big role in bringing the World Cup to the island in 1996 for the very first time.
FLOWING FAST
The need for electronic scoreboards may have arise due to the batting of this man who formed one of the most destructive opening pair of those days with Romesh Kaluwitharana - the way in which the score moves is incredible! The good length or poor deliveries doesn’t make a difference - edges or the middle of the bat doesn’t make any problem - but the final results are almost the same always - a boundary or a six!
Who could forget that match at Sharjah when he created doom for the Indian bowlers with the 189 runs he managed to get before being stumped off a wide delivery by Saurav Ganguly. This was the highest ever by a Srilankan batsman and the second best in the world after Pakistan’s Saed Anwar. His 340 runs off 578 balls in 799 minutes with 36 fours and 2 sixes against India at Premadasa was another one of his excellent innings.
POWERING OUT
He may not be as technical as Dravid, not as flowing as Lara, but he is more of a threat to any opening bowler than anybody else. When he swings the bat, it sounds like a sword which may end a bowler’s career - the way in which he smashed Manoj Prabhakar in the 1996 World Cup was only a clue of what he has in store inside.
The lose of captaincy hasn’t slowed him down in any manner. The fact that he got 250+ wickets in One Day cricket shows he skills as a bowler who can break partnerships. He is one of the most effective fifth bowlers available now and his bowling has been more effective in the Indian subcontinent.
THE SHINING SUN
On his day, this man is unstoppable. He holds the records for the fastest fifty (17 balls) and maximum runs in an over (30 runs against Chris Harris) in One Days. He has also hit maximum sixes in a match, 11. He has got 188 sixes in his career which is quite an amazing number!
If Srilanka is to hold onto the next World Cup, this is one man who can help. With his powerful strokes and effective bowling, he can create more wonders for Srilankan cricket. Ten thousand runs is not the end of the road for Jayasurya as the sun (surya) hasn’t shined as much as the energy that is stored inside it.
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