9 July 1999
Jayasuriya - the rural boy who made it to the big time
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
For a country which has historically relied almost exclusively on
Colombo-bred players, the rise of Sanath Jayasuriya from humble
beginnings at Matara to become the country's national captain is
certain to spearhead a new wave of Sri Lankan cricketers drawn from
the rural areas.
Modest as he is despite his rising image as an international
cricketer Jayasuriya believes he wouldn't be in this position today
if not for his principal at St. Servatius College, Matara, G.L.
Galappathy. The school had a limited cricketing background, but it
was the enthusiasm of Galappathy and his first coach Lionel
Wagasinghe that ensured Jayasuriya's talents flourished.
"I am greatly indebted to Galappathy for supporting me during my
formative years. He ensured I got everything I needed to further my
cricket. My parents couldn't afford the exhorbitant prices even at
that time for cricket equipment," recalled Jayasuriya.
"His love for the game made him introduce junior cricket to the
school in 1978. It aroused a lot of interest among the pupils and he
ensured the enthusiasm remained by coming to see us practice every
day after school," said Jayasuriya.
Born in Matara on June 30, 1969, Jayasuriya's cricketing pedigree was
scant. His father Dunstan worked in the Urban Council in Dondra and
had no active interest in the game and his brother Chandana had
forsaken cricket to take up work in the Fisheries Department.
"No one played cricket from my father's side, but from my mother's
side her brothers played and captained St. Servatius. I really didn't
have a cricketing background," said Jayasuriya.
He captained his school from under 11 till the first eleven, went to
Australia with the Sri Lanka team for the inaugural under 19 youth
World Cup and to Pakistan a few months later with the Sri Lanka 'B'
team where his two unbeaten double centuries made people sit up and
take notice that a star was on the horizon. Shortly afterwards he was
drafted into the national side for the tour to Australia in 1989-90
and since has remained a permanent fixture.
"I played as a lower-order batsman at no. 7, but where my career
really took a complete turn was in Australia in 1995-96 when Roshan
Mahanama got injured and I was asked to open the batting. I made a
hundred and then a fifty. From then on I have remained an opener,"
said Jayasuriya.
What a change of approach it made to Jayasuriya's batting. He went
onto develop into one of the most destructive left-handers in the
game. The World Cup in 1996 which he considers the high point of his
career saw Jayasuriya at his best.
The term 'pinch-hitter' was stolen from baseball to convey the tactic
of an opening batsman given licence to adopt a high-risk approach
against compulsory attacking fields. With his opening partner Romesh
Kaluwitharana, Jayasuriya brought into play a new tactic where the
first 15 overs was used as the last 15, to catch the opponents by
surprise, and good enough to win the World Cup.
Jayasuriya was voted the 'Most Valuable Player' in the World Cup, and
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the cricketer's 'bible' daringly broke
tradition (only players who have performed in England are eligible)
to name him as one of their Five Cricketers of the Year in 1997.
The decision was controversial but within a year it had proved to be
infallible. Jayasuriya who by now had come to earn a reputation as a
dangerous one-day opener, proved that he could also bat the
conventional way by batting for more than 13 hours to make the fourth
highest score in Test cricket - a monumental 340 against India at the
R. Premadasa Stadium. He followed this with 199 in the same series,
and 213 against England at the Oval last year.
Jayasuriya had a rather moderate World Cup in England by his high
standards having had his right forearm busted a few months before the
big event in Australia by fast bowler Brendon Julian when he was
approaching something close to his true form - a fifty off as many
balls.
"I was out of action for about two months and I have still not got
back into form," said Jayasuriya.
He said the pressure of captaincy was unlikely to affect his
batting."I am a natural stroke player and I will play my normal game
whether I am the captain or not. I don't think that is something I
should worry over".
Source :: The Daily News (https://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/)