It's quite remarkable to think that someone born in the 60s is still playing international cricket in the year 2011. The soon-to-be 42-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya played his 445th and final ODI against England on Tuesday, Here are five of his finest one-day knocks...
5. 140 v New Zealand, Bloemfontein, December 1994
The Sri Lankan selectors showed a remarkable amount of faith at the beginning of Jayasuriya's career. For a man of his pedigree, it took an astounding 64 ODI innings before he was able to post his maiden one-day hundred in a quadrangular series in South Africa, Bloemfontein being the venue for Sri Lanka's Mandela Trophy clash against the Black Caps.
With Sri Lanka batting first against Ken Rutherford's Kiwis, Jayasuriya found himself rooted with his score on 21 for all of seven overs before breaking the shackles and powering to his maiden limited over ton. The left-hander finished with 140 from 143 deliveries as Sri Lanka posted 288 in their fifty overs, but rain had the final say as the rest of the game was washed out.
Despite the no-result the match was significant for the fact that it featured Jayasuriya's first of 28 one-day international hundreds, with six typically swashbuckling sixes launched over the fence at the then Springbok Park.
4. 125 v India, Karachi, July 2008
Battling for form and fighting to prolong his international career, the Master Blaster came good when it mattered in the final of the 2008 Asia Cup, inspiring Sri Lanka to a 100-run demolition of India.
Batting first the Sri Lankans found themselves in trouble on a decent track, at 66 for four. Jayasuriya however was to orchestrate a stunning counter-attack, smashing Praveen Kumar's 17th over for 26 runs to kick things off before the 39-year-old finished with 125 from 114 deliveries. The innings left India in a state of shock which Ajantha Mendis gleefully took advantage of, bagging six wickets as Sri Lanka claimed Asia Cup success. Jayasuriya shut up his critics good and proper, finishing as the tournament's top run-getter with 378 runs across five innings.
3. 134 v Pakistan, Singapore, April 1996
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the powerful left-hander's career has been the way that he's transformed the philosophy behind limited-overs batting, an approach which caught all opposition by surprise in the 1996 World Cup as Sri Lanka clinched the title despite never previously having reached the knock-out stage of the competition.
Jayasuriya's uncompromising style was encapsulated in Sri Lanka's first game after their World Cup success. In a game which boasted 664 runs in total, the world champions overpowered Pakistan, Jayasuriya responsible for a 134-run blitz. His remarkable hundred came at a fair rate of knots - a strike rate of 206 to be exact - setting the then world record for the fastest to fifty and 100 in ODI cricket. His 11 sixes in the innings also stood for 15 years as the record for the most in a single ODI knock.
2. 152 v England, Leeds, July 2006
The bragging rights for both the quickest ODI hundred and half-century belonged to the 'Matara Marauder' for a brief period after that 1996 effort against Pakistan, and ten years later he added the tag of the fastest man to 150 in one-day internationals with a breathtaking knock against England at Headingley.
moreThe five-match series was all wrapped up for the tourists by the final game but Jayasuriya made the dead rubber count in the record books, walloping the likes of Kabir Ali, Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan to all parts. Steve Harmison also took heavy punishment with his ten overs going for 97 runs as Jayasuriya and opening partner Upul Tharanga shared a stand of 286 runs to see Sri Lanka to the victory target of 322 in under 38 overs.
Significantly for the more senior opening partner - having reached three figures from 71 balls - he then summited the 150 mark in a never-been done-before 95 deliveries. Jayasuriya celebrated his total domination of England by walking away with the man-of-match and man-of-the-series awards as Sri Lanka inflicted a 5-0 drubbing.
1. 189 v India, Sharjah, October 2000
India's largest ever ODI defeat came at the hands of Sri Lanka, and in particular captain Jayasuriya, in the Coca Cola Cup Champions Trophy final in 2000. Batting first and at 116 for four, the Sri Lankans were drifting along at a touch over four to the over when their skipper grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Jayasuriya's ODI career best of 189 came from just 161 deliveries, including 21 fours and four sixes as his side posted a fairly challenging total of 300 for victory.
India though were left a broken team by Jayasuriya's violent attack and they folded meekly in their chase - being bowled out for just 54 as Sri Lanka triumphed by a record 245 runs.
Cricket365.com
