Ahead of the curve

The world is full of surprises, and Mahela Jayawardene's decision to quit the Sri Lanka captaincy at a time when he was among the best in the business in world cricket will take some time to digest. However, anyone who knows Sri Lanka cricket's politics and the complexities that go with it will not be surprised by his decision. It is an honour to lead one's country, one that every cricketer seeks but only a few succeed in getting, but along with the pride of being the country's captain come various external pressures that can make the job uncomfortable and emotionally draining, no matter how successful you may be.

Jayawardene has been at the helm for three years and he knew it was time for him to call stumps. He has been through the rough and the smooth, and has fended off his critics with the straightest of bats - standing tall, not cowed one bit, continuing to do the things he thought were right. As he says in an advertising slogan, "I am what I am". He could have remained in charge; indeed the selectors tried to persuade him to change his mind, but he passionately believed that he had to hand over with at least 18 months to go to the World Cup.

For all the right reasons it has possibly been a good time for him to resign, when no one would have thought he needed to. Although it comes soon after a 4-1 beating by India at home, the third successive bilateral series loss under his leadership, the result certainly had nothing to do with his decision.

Captaining an Asian team is no easy task. The interference and political pressure drain one's reserves and can take their toll on a captain's career. After three years Jayawardene was probably exhausted by the off-field issues.

He has had to steer the team through controversial waters. On the field he had to oversee the rebuilding of the team for 2011, a task that left him on a collision course with some senior players. Off the field he had to fight for fairer contracts for junior players, which led to friction with the administrators. Then came the biggest controversy, when Arjuna Ranatunga, then the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, agreed to a last-minute tour to England in the middle of the second season of the IPL. Jayawardene was just one player in the controversy, which became a huge political issue, but he was the one who was targeted and ruthlessly attacked by partisan sections of the media for weeks on end.

Jayawardene's detractors conveniently ignored his brilliant Test record as captain (15 wins in 26 matches), and indeed his performance as batsman while captaining (an average of 64.70 with 11 centuries in just three years). Instead they chased after him for his performances as one-day captain. While Jayawardene admits the team's performance has been inconsistent, his overall record in ODIs has been decent, with a 56% win ratio and a batting average of 34.22 as captain, higher than before the captaincy. Wins in the Asia Cup and during the recent Pakistan tour provided only temporary respite from the media attacks.

Strangely, under Jayawardene Sri Lanka played brilliantly in the longer version of the game, securing victories overseas in England, New Zealand and West Indies to break the myth that his team cannot win overseas. As captain, Jayawardene was a revelation for Sri Lanka cricket, which at the time he took over was desperately short of fresh ideas. With coach Tom Moody, Jayawardene's captaincy blossomed to the extent that he brought more to the table than any other captain had, to make Sri Lanka a unit to be much feared in both forms of the game.

Arjuna Ranatunga is remembered for winning the World Cup for his country, but in terms of shrewdness and flair Jayawardene is streets ahead. Being picked as Captain of the Year in the ICC Awards in 2006 bears testimony to that fact.

Unlike most other cricketers for whom the game is a lifeline to cling on to, Jayawardene is one who believes that there is life after cricket. He has always enjoyed what he has done, whether as captain or as a member of the team. When you suddenly lose the hunger to captain, that's when you want to quit and let someone fresh take over. Jayawardene just may have felt that way. It shows his concern for the team that, rather than being selfish and hanging on, he has been honest and open-minded, as indeed he has been all through his tenure as captain. Jayawardene has taken the Sri Lankan captaincy to a higher plane; his successor may have a hard time keeping up.