Mahela Jayawardene gives up Sri Lanka team captaincy

Mahela Jayawardene yesterday announced that he will be standing down as Sri Lanka captain after the forthcoming Test series with Pakistan.

Mahela Jayawardena © AFP

Jayawardene having a meeting with the national selectors on Wednesday morning and proposed to them that the time was now right to handover the captaincy, ensuring his successor sufficient time to build the team for the 2011 World Cup.

During the discussion it was agreed that Jayawardene will remain in-charge for the forthcoming two-match Test series in Pakistan.

Later Jayawardene released the following statement, “In the best interests of the Sri Lanka team, I have decided to stand down as Sri Lanka captain after this Pakistan tour.

This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup.

After much thought, I have concluded that the right time has now come for fresh leadership to takeover. It was not an only decision to make because being Sri Lanka National Captain has been the source of enormous pride.

I am very grateful to have been granted the honour of leading the team during the last three years. I would like to extend a special thank-you to my team-mates for making the job so easy and fulfilling, to the SLC officials and selectors that placed their faith in me, and to family, friends and fans who have provided so much support.

I look forward now to extending my full support to my successor and hope to play a major part in the team’s success during coming years as a batsman.”

Jayawardene was appointed captain in Feb. 2006. During his three-year tenure he led Sri Lanka in 26 Test matches and 97 ODI’s. He had a win ratio in Tests of 62.50% the highest of any Sri Lanka captain in history, and a win ratio of 57% in ODI’s. As captain he averaged 64.70 in Tests, scoring 11 centuries in the last 3 years.

He averaged 34.22 as ODI captain.

Courtesy:  Daily News

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SL claim consolation victory as India win ODI series 4-1

Sri Lanka produced the ingredients of success for the first time to beat the touring Indian team by 68 runs in the fifth and final one day international worked off at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.

Sri Lanka also managed to avert a humiliating clean sweep for the first time on home soil although they could not prevent India from running away with the series 4-1. The Lankans completed their task in style by piling up the highest total at this venue and then dismissed their opponents for 252 with an over to spare.

Sri Lanka after their magnificent batting performance made certain that there will be no contest at the end by reducing India to 138 for 6 at the half way stage of the innings. The only concern for Mahela Jayawardena was the explosive batting of Yuvraj Singh who launched a severe counter attack under tremendous pressure.

The dynamic middle order batsman treated the Sri Lanka fast bowlers like spinners while racing to his 39th one day international half century with the help of ten smashing boundaries before he was deceived by the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni then delayed Sri Lanka’s victory to a great extent with a determined batting performance while putting on 55 runs for the seventh wicket together with the debutant Ravindra Jadeja. Sri Lanka’s match winning total was earlier built around a second wicket partnership of 143 runs from just 136 deliveries between opener Tillekeratne Dilshan and vice captain Kumar Sangakkara.

The right and left hand combination got their act together well and set the pace for a massive total after skipper Mahela Jayawardena had won the toss for the first time and elected to bat.

The openers Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya certainly proved how important it was to win the toss and bat first with a solid stand of 66 runs from ten overs. But the best part of the batting came when Sangakkara joined Dilshan and the pair was able to take the game away from the Indian team.

Sangakkara got his eye as soon as he arrived and made his intentions clear with a series of boundaries. In fact he raced to his 48th one day international fifty from just 46 deliveries inclusive of half a dozen of boundaries.

Tillekeratne Dilshan who top scored for Sri Lanka with 97 ~ AFP

Dilshan kept the momentum going during the middle overs through some excellent running between the wickets which resulted in a 46 run stand for the third wicket along with Thilina Kandambi who made a run a ball 26.

Sri Lanka reached an impressive 255 for 3 by the 41st over before India came back into the game through a magnificent spell of bowling from Ishant Sharma. The medium paceman produced a sensational 42nd over to claim the wickets of Thilina Kandambi and Chamara Kapugedera.

In between Tillekeratne Dilshan was run out for a well compiled 97 and skipper Mahela Jayawardena was deceived by Yuvraj Singh which means Sri Lanka had lost four wickets within the space of six deliveries.

However all rounder Farveez Maharoof produced some big hitting during the slog overs and when the batting power play was also in effect that ensured Sri Lanka got past the three hundred run mark quite convincingly.

The two teams will meet again at the same venue on Tuesday for their maiden Twenty20 International commencing at 7.00 p.m.

Courtesy: Daily News

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