Jayasuriya aims to inspire 1996 repeat

In his fifth and final World Cup, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's veteran opener, says his batting is as explosive as it was in Sri Lanka's 1996 title triumph. Jayasuriya briefly retired from the game in 2005, but said the memory of that World Cup victory pushed him back.

"It's a great feeling to be back, I'm still the same batsman and hoping to revive Sri Lanka's glory days," said Jayasuriya. "The slump in my form in 2005 was the worst phase of my life. I was injured and I lost form. I had a poor tour of India and there was a lot of flack from the media that made me decide on retiring from international cricket.

"But the new selection committee seemed to have a lot more faith in my ability and recalled me. I feel my comeback has been a good one, it's a good feeling to be able to live up to the expectations yet again."

Jayasuriya enjoyed a successful 2006, hitting 1153 runs at 48.04, with five hundreds, in 26 one-day internationals. In Sri Lanka's 5-0 whitewash of England at home last summer, he hit two hundreds and followed it up with a third against the Netherlands just after.

Having led Sri Lanka to the semi-finals at the 2003 World Cup, before giving up the captaincy, Jayasuriya, 37, said he wanted one final crack at cricket's biggest tournament. "It's a fantastic memory that continues to stir me. It's a feeling one cannot forget, the greatest memory for any cricketer. Those of us who were in that team now tell the younger boys how we won the tournament, how we planned it match by match until the very end."

He added, on the Caribbean conditions: "We feel very much at home ... the greenery, the sea and the climate," he said. "It should bring out the best out of the Sri Lankan team." Sri Lanka play their first game of the World Cup against Bermuda on Thursday.