Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene Sri Lankan Cricketer Profile

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Full name Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene

Born May 27, 1977, Colombo

Current age 33 years 310 days

Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Asia XI, Kings XI Punjab, Sinhalese Sports Club, Wayamba

Playing role Batsman

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm medium

Limited Overs Career Statistics

World Cup span 1999-2011

ODI debut Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Colombo (RPS), Jan 24, 1998

Last ODI Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Colombo (RPS), Mar 29, 2011

List A debut 1995/96

Last List A Sri Lanka v New Zealand at Colombo (RPS), Mar 29, 2011

Profile

In a format which often places a premium on power and frenetic hitting, Mahela Jayawardene soothes the senses with his silken strokeplay and his calm presence at the crease. He scores all around the wicket, plays pace and spin with equal felicity, and is ideally suited to guide the Sri Lankan middle order. Despite his obvious skills, though, the feeling persists that he has underachieved in the ODI format, averaging less than 33 after having played more than 300 games. His sheer class and vast experience - he has played three World Cups, and was outstanding in 2007 - could be vital when the stakes get high.

Strengths

Ability to pick gaps and score all around the wicket; and to pace his innings and take charge of the middle overs

Key stats

Jayawardene's first World Cup hundred came in his 21st innings, and his third World Cup, when he scored an unbeaten 115 in the 2007 semi-final against New Zealand

Sri Lanka have won each of the 12 matches in which Jayawardene has scored a century. In wins he averages 41.22, but in defeats it drops to 23.93.

All stats updated till before the start of the 2011 World Cup.

World Cup tracker

Jayawardene's first two World Cups were shockers, with seven innings in the 2003 edition fetching 21 runs. His fortunes changed in 2007, when he scored a hundred and four fifties, aggregated 548 runs - the second-highest in the tournament - and helped Sri Lanka reach the final.

Expert view

"A touch player in a class of his own. The amount of cricketing knowledge he brings makes him an asset in the side. He is probably the only player who can bat anywhere in the top seven because of his class"- Marvan Atapattu, former Sri Lanka captain