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Full name : Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene |
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A fine technician with an excellent temperament, Jayawardene's exciting arrival in 1997 heralded the start of a new era for Sri Lanka's middle order. He was the best batsman the island had produced since Sanath Jayasuriya and his rich talent fuelled towering expectations. Perhaps mindful of his first Test, when he went out to bat against India at Colombo in 1997 with the scoreboard reading 790 for 4, he soon developed an appetite for big scores. His 66 then was followed by a masterful 167 on a Galle minefield versus New Zealand in his fourth match. A marathon 242 against India followed in his seventh Test. However, after a prolific purple patch from 2000 to early-2002, his form became more patchy. His declining productivity in the one-day game was particularly alarming, although that was partly explained by his shuffling up and down the order. He suffered a run drought during the 2003 World Cup and was dropped immediately after. However, he soon regained his confidence and benefited from a stable batting position at No. 4 after the retirement of Aravinda de Silva. A good Test series against England was followed by a high-scoring run in 2004. He was appointed vice-captain of the one-day side for the second time in his career in 2003 and has been named by the selectors as the heir to the captaincy after Marvan Atapattu's current tenure. Off the field he has won great admiration for his huge personal contribution to the HOPE cancer project. Charlie Austin (November 2004) |
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