/ 18 August 2014

Jayawardene bows out of Test cricket with a half century knock

Mahela Jayawardene finished with an average of 49.84 over 149 Tests with 34 hundreds
Mahela Jayawardene finished with an average of 49.84 over 149 Tests with 34 hundreds

Few cricketers exemplified the spirit of the game better than the gentlemanly Mahela Jayawardene (37), though his pleasant demeanour hid nerves of steel, a calculating, street-smart mind and an obsessive drive for perfection.

His final innings at his favourite Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo on Sunday was yet another classy knock of 54 that saw him complete the milestone of a half century of Test fifties. 

He had retired from Twenty20 internationals after Sri Lanka’s title-winning campaign in the World T20 in April, but will continue in the 50-over game hoping to compete in next year’s one-day World Cup in Australia.

Jayawardene is one of only five batsmen to score more than 11 000 runs in both Test and one-day cricket – the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and team-mate Kumar Sangakkara.

That he finished with an average of 49.84 over 149 Tests with 34 hundreds, six times passing 200, illustrates his irrepressible hunger for runs through a 17-year-career. 

Record deluge
Although his form outside Asia had been inconsistent, he set a deluge of records at home.

He scored a monumental 374 during a world-record partnership of 624 with Sangakkara (287) against a South African attack which included Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini at the SSC in 2006.

Jayawardene looked set to surpass Brian Lara’s record of 400 when he was bowled against the run of play. Ever the team player, he preferred to rejoice in his team’s huge win by an innings and 153 runs.

He got an immediate taste of big scores on his Test debut as a 20-year-old in 1997, when Sri Lanka piled up a world record total of 952-6 declared against India at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

Slated to bat at number six, the young Jayawardene saw Sanath Jayasuriya make 340, supported by Roshan Mahanama (225), before himself scoring 66.   His 2 921 runs in 27 Tests at the SSC are the most by any batsman at a single ground, marked by an average of 74.89 with 11 centuries and nine 50s.

Last month, against Hashim Amla’s South African team, Jayawardene showed his skills had not diminished as he once again revelled in the serene surroundings of the SSC to make a fluent 165.

He bid farewell to another happy hunting ground in Galle in the first Test just over a week ago by making 59 in the first innings, and 26 in the unfamiliar role of an opener in the second as Sri Lanka beat fading light and approaching rain to chase down a target of 99 with 4.2 overs to spare against Pakistan.

‘I love you all’
Jayawardene was almost lost for words as he addressed a crowd that included Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse after the match on Monday.

“I don’t know what to say, but I promise I won’t cry,” Jayawardene said at the presentation ceremony.

“I love you all. Thank you so much for the support all these years. I still have a little bit left and I promise I’ll give it my all for the World Cup.”

A prolific slip-catcher, Jayawardene’s 202 catches are second only to India’s Rahul Dravid, who holds the record for a fielder other than a wicket-keeper with 210.

Jayawardene was also an astute captain who took Sri Lanka to the World Cup final in 2007. He quit the post in 2009, but continued to play under Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan before he took on the job again in 2012 for a year as Angelo Mathews was groomed.

Off the field, Jayawardene is the co-owner with Sangakkara of an upmarket fish restaurant in Colombo.

Sangakkara said ahead of the match that his good friend will be hard to replace.

“Not just me, but the cricket world, Sri Lankan fans and our whole team will feel the loss of a great player like Mahela,” Sangakkara said. “It will take a long time to fill that void.” – AFP