One final fling

Sanath Jayasuriya: back with a bang © Getty Images

When Sanath Jayasuriya broke his thumb during the Kandy Test against Pakistan in April to hasten his retirement from Test cricket, the world mourned the untimely departure of one of the greats of the modern game. His contribution had been far from conventional - here was a lower-middle order biffer and job-a-day spin bowler who had turned himself into one of the great one-day openers in the history of the game. If for nothing else, he would always be recalled for his exploits during the 1995-96 World Cup - Sri Lanka's coming-of-age - when his bellicose thumping at the top of the order had turned the world order upside-down.

Who'd have imagined, then, that come the 2006 tour of England, he would be cast in the role of the villain. When he was coaxed into a return to the big time by the incoming chairman of selectors, Asantha de Mel, the general consensus was of a man past his prime, who was no doubt still worthy of a place at the top of the order, but was hardly the face of a forward-thinking team. At the age of 37, his hinterland stretches further than his longevity.

So he was forced to sit on the sidelines by the tour management in England, omitted after the great escape at Lord's in favour of the young guns, Michael Vandort and Upul Tharanga. By the time the second ODI got underway yesterday morning, each had scored an international hundred at different stages of the tour. The future, it seems, is in safe hands.

But Jayasuriya has had a significant say in this particular narrative. His recall for the decisive Trent Bridge Test was as a middle-order reinforcement, and he duly failed through lack of match practice, making 4 and 4 in two innings. He did, however, possess a second suit, and it was his canny and under-rated abilities as a left-arm spinner that really propelled Sri Lanka to their historic series-levelling victory. Match figures of 3 for 73 provided the perfect foil to Muttiah Muralitharan, just as his double-century had done in the Oval Test eight years earlier.

And so, back the tale came to the man's strongest suit, his role as a one-day opener with forearms made of the finest willow. A savage assault on England's wayward fast bowlers brought him a 20th one-day century, a tally that only Tendulkar and Ganguly have exceeded. And when England threatened to make a fist of a taxing run-chase, he returned to asphyxiate their ambitions with figures of 3 for 51. Jayasuriya may not be around for much longer, but as one of the true pioneers of the modern international game, he has earned the right to exit on his own terms.

What they say
"I have very reliable information that he was forced to retire. I can tell you that he's undoubtedly the fittest in the team and if you take the current crop of players and ask them to do a 100-metre sprint he will come first. He just played a county season in England last year and knows the conditions well and is the only Sri Lankan to have scored a double hundred in England. What more credentials do you want?"," Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, Asantha de Mel, argues the case for his recall.

What he says
"I took a little bit of time to take the decision to retire. It was the same when I had to make up my mind to come back. It was not an easy thing but I took the challenge. I needed to know how the team would feel if I came back. All these things went through my mind before I took the decision. There was nothing politically connected to my comeback. I played for the country for 16 years and have not looked for political favours." Jayasuriya on his return to the side.

What you may not know
Jayasuriya was one of the unsung heroes of England's Ashes campaign last summer. He was plying his trade for Somerset during the interminable build-up to the series, during which time he clobbered the touring Australians for 108 princely runs from just 74 balls. South Africa's Graeme Smith also helped himself to a hundred, as Somerset hunted down a vast total of 342 to win with three overs to spare. It was one of four consecutive defeats suffered by the Aussies in a calamitous fortnight.

What the future holds
The World Cup is the holy grail for Jayasuriya, the tournament in which he made his name, and that of his country, in 1995-96. His powers in the one-day game have not diminished, and if anything, his left-arm spin has become more guileful as the years go by. As he approached his 38th year, he knows he has one final fling awaiting him, quite literally, to judge by his uniquely belligerent batting.