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On May 27, 1977, Mahela Jayawardene was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Widely regarded as one of the finest batters produced by Sri Lankan cricket, Jayawardene enjoyed an international career that lasted nearly two decades and established him among the modern greats of the game. He is elegant, composed, and technically gifted and became a pillar of Sri Lanka’s batting line-up across all formats and later served as an inspirational captain for the national side.
Jayawardene made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in 1997 and his One Day International debut in 1998. Over the years, he developed into one of the most dependable top-order batters in world cricket. His calm temperament and ability to perform under pressure made him a central figure in Sri Lanka’s rise as a major cricketing nation during the 2000s and early 2010s.
As captain, Jayawardene guided Sri Lanka to victory in the 2008 Asia Cup and earned widespread praise for his leadership skills. In 2006, the International Cricket Council named him the best international captain of the year, highlighting his tactical intelligence and sportsmanship. He was also nominated in 2007 for the ICC’s best Test cricketer award.
One of the defining moments of his career came in 2006 when he and teammate Kumar Sangakkara created history against South Africa. The pair added 624 runs for the third wicket in Colombo, setting the record for the highest partnership in First-Class cricket history. Jayawardene scored 374 in that innings, which remains the highest Test score by a right-handed batter. Alongside Sangakkara, he also set the record for the most partnership runs for the third wicket in Test cricket, surpassing the previous mark held by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
Jayawardene was also a pioneer in Twenty20 cricket for Sri Lanka. During the 2010 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, he became the first Sri Lankan player to score a century in the tournament, making exactly 100 runs against Zimbabwe. His adaptability across formats demonstrated his exceptional cricketing intelligence and versatility.
Throughout his international career, Jayawardene represented Sri Lanka in 652 matches across Tests, ODIs, and T20 Internationals. In 149 Test matches, he scored 11,814 runs, including 34 centuries and 50 half-centuries. In 448 ODIs, he amassed 12,650 runs with 19 centuries and 77 fifties, becoming only the second Sri Lankan after Sanath Jayasuriya to cross 10,000 ODI runs. In 55 T20 Internationals, he scored 1,493 runs, including one century and nine half-centuries.
Jayawardene was also a key member of several successful Sri Lankan teams. He helped Sri Lanka win the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 title. In addition, he played in the finals of the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups, as well as the 2009 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20 tournaments.
In recognition of his immense contribution to cricket, Jayawardene was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2021. He became only the third Sri Lankan cricketer, after Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara, to receive the prestigious honour.
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