Jayasuriya – The forgotten all rounder

I was checking out Jayasuriya’s numbers following a recent onslaught (back-to-back ODI 150s) and it should come as no surprise that Jayasuriya has scored more runs in Tests and One Day Internationals than any other Sri Lankan. Indeed, he is 3rd on the all time ODI list and was a pioneer of the “Openers shall go over the top in the first 15 overs” theory, that thankfully changed ODI cricket forever. Jayasuriya takes credit for the second highest ODI score (189) and the 7th highest Test score (340). Jayasuriya’s greatness as a batsman is beyond dispute. However, I found my eyebrows raised when I noticed that Jayasuria sits 3rd on the Test and ODI wicket takers list for Sri Lanka.

Looking further into this, Jayasuria is the 11th highest ODI wicket taker of all time (278 wickets @ 36.82 ). On the test scene, Jayasuria has 96 wickets at 33.35 – which is very respectable for a “part-timer”. Only two bowlers have taken more than 100 Test wickets for Sri Lanka – Muralitharan (640) and Vaas (306). We sometimes forget that Sri Lanka is still a young test nation but even so, I find it surprising and enlightening to find that they have just two bowlers in the “hundred club”. Taking this into consideration, Jayasuria is more than a pretty face, gentleman and blazing blade. Aside from being a pillar of Sri Lankan cricket for the last 15 years – as a batsman, and captain (for 38 matches), he has been an inspiration to his team and nation – he has also provided valuable backup as a bowler.

Jayasuriya’s career is drawing to a close. He has been in and out of the team over the past few months and in his past 10 Tests have yielded just 237 runs at 15.80. As we contemplate Sunath’s sun setting, I’d like to remember him as a truly prodigious batting talent – able to flay any attack on his day, a very useful bowler of left arm orthodox spin and a fine statesman of cricket.