Happy Birthday Sanath Jayasuriya: A look at his amazing records
What's the story
Batting legend Sanath Jayasuriya turned 51 on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan maestro remains one of the greatest batsmen of all-time, especially in One-Day Internationals. Jayasuriya, who was known for providing blistering starts, continued to rule the roost among big-hitters. His spell-binding knocks defined Sri Lanka cricket's golden period. Let us have a look at his splendid feats.
Career
Sanath Jayasuriya in international cricket
In a career spanning nearly 22 years, Jayasuriya amassed 21,032 runs from 586 internationals at an average of 34.14. He is among the top five run-getters in ODI cricket, having aggregated 13,430 runs at 32.36. Jayasuriya also owns 28 tons and 68 fifties in the format. Notably, he (445) is the third most capped ODI player after Sachin Tendulkar (463) and Mahela Jayawardene (448).
Fastest 50
Jayasuriya held the record for 19 years
In 1996, Jayasuriya broke the record of slamming the fastest fifty in ODI cricket. He reached the 50-run mark off mere 17 balls in the 1996 Singer Cup tri-series final against Pakistan. The southpaw smashed 8 fours and 5 sixes before finishing on 76 (28). However, his record was broken by South Africa's AB de Villiers in 2015, after he registered a 16-ball fifty.
Top scorer
Jayasuriya powered Sri Lanka's batting across formats
Over the years, SL have racked up some mammoth totals across formats. Their 952/6 against India is the still the highest team total in Test cricket. In ODIs, the Lankans compiled 443/9 against Netherlands, while they put up 260/6 in a T20I game against Kenya. Interestingly, Jayasuriya was the highest run-scorer in all three matches (340 vs IND, 157 vs NED, 88 vs KEN).
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Bowling record in international cricket
Besides his monstrous hitting, Jayasuriya also stood out as a handy off-spinner. He has snapped up 440 wickets from 586 internationals at 35.66, including best match figures of 9/74. Moreover, he is the only ODI player in 10,000-run club to have taken over 300 wickets.
Highest score
Highest individual score by a Sri Lankan player (ODIs)
Sanath Jayasuirya still holds the record of accumulating the highest individual score (ODI) by a Sri Lankan player. He hammered a 161-ball 189 against India in the 2000 Champions Trophy final at Sharjah. His blazing knock was studded with 21 fours and 4 sixes. Nine years after his retirement, the historic feat is yet to be matched. Indeed, a legend!