One man’s loss can be another man’s reprieve. Sanath Jayasurirya’s cricket career seemed all but over. But apparently age is not an issue for Sri Lankan cricket with Jayasuriya’s induction back into the Sri Lankan cricket team.
Sanath Jayasuriya
The Sri Lankan all rounder and former captain was drafted into Sri Lanka’s ODI and Twenty20 squad for England. The decision was made after Upul Tharanga was ruled out of participation by Sri Lankan cricket following the ICC’s notification that Tharanga had tested positive for a banned substance during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Swapping opener for opener, Sri Lanka have turned backwards to bring the forty-two year all rounder back into the frame. The logic is for Jayasuriya to partner Sri Lanka’s new captain, Tilelkeratne Dilshan, for the limited overs format. However, it is still entirely unclear whether Dilshan can recover from the fractured thumb he suffered during the second Sri Lanka v England Test match at Lord’s.
After 444 one-day internationals and 13,428 runs and 322 wickets, it appeared Jayasuriya’s time with Sri Lanka in ODIs was over as he last played for Sri Lanka back in December, 2009. Jayasuriya has been increasingly found in television studios rather than on the cricket field, with even the IPL 4 auctions seeing IPL franchisees pass him despite being available.
Jayasuriya though may only pass through as a replacement until Sri Lanka can identify another cricketer to carry his legacy forward. With age becoming a contentious issue in cricket at the moment, Jayasuriya has the opportunity to show that the age factor may really not count for anything after all. Jayasuriya has not really featured in the Sri Lankan cricket selectors’ plans for a while now and it is, therefore, surprising that they did turn to him in a time of a mini crisis, even though his reputation is hard to overlook.
Without Muttiah Muralitharan, perhaps Jayasuriya will have the opportunity to bring more than his batting to the fore, possibly turning his arm over if the opportunity presents itself. For the moment, Jayasuriya’s experience is obviously being heavily counted upon in alien conditions in England. Tharanga performed reasonably well during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 batting along with Dilshan but the latest twist is set to jeopardize not only his position within the team but also, the team composition as is evident in the selection of Jayasuriya.
While it will be speculated as to how long Jayasuriya will enjoy the comeback, the fact that he is back should bring more interest about the Sri Lankan squad with experience but also, the fact that he has not played competitive cricket in a while.
Sri Lanka’s ODI squad for England:
Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Thilina Kandamby, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Tissara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis
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