Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach of the
Sri Lanka National Cricket Team and the Head Coach of the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
franchise
Mumbai Indians. He is the most successful captain for Sri Lanka along with
Sanath Jayasuriya
Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya ( si, සනත් ජයසූරිය, ta, சனத் ஜெயசூர்யா; born 30 June 1969), is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a captain. He is credited for having revolutionized one-day in ...
. During the time of his captaincy, he was known mainly for his tactical acumen for decades and was rewarded for his captaincy instincts.
He made his
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
debut in August 1997 and his
One Day International (ODI) debut the following season in January 1998. In 2006 along with his team mate
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
, Jayawardene made the highest ever partnership in
First-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...
, scoring 624 runs for the third wicket in the first test match of Sri Lanka's
home series against South Africa. He appeared in 652 international matches representing Sri Lanka in a career spanning for about 18 years. During his international career, he also formed a friendship and healthy rivalry with Sangakkara.
Mahela is the first player in the history of Sri Lankan cricket to score over 10,000 Test runs and is also the second Sri Lankan player to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs after Sanath Jayasuriya. Mahela Jayawardene currently serves as the Chairman of Sri Lanka National Sports Council.
Jayawardene's highest test score, 374 against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, is the highest score by a right-handed batsman in the history of Test cricket. Along with teammate Sangakkara, he has the most career partnership runs for the 3rd wicket in Tests, scoring 5890 runs surpassing the 5826 run record of
Rahul Dravid and
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
.
Jayawardene was a key member of the team that won the
2014 ICC World Twenty20
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. ...
and was part of the team that made to the final of
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...
,
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, ...
,
2009 ICC World Twenty20 and
2012 ICC World Twenty20.
In 2006, Jayawardene was named by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
as the best International captain of the year and was nominated in 2007 as the best Test cricket player of the year. He is also known for his fielding skills in the inner ring, with a report prepared by
Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the
1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the most run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the fifth highest run-out/match ratio in ODI's. Statistics also reveal that ''c Jayawardene b
Muralitharan'' is the most common bowler-fielder combination in the history of Test cricket.
Jayawardene also worked as an international TV commentator in the first test at Headingley on 19 May 2016 between England and Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene holds the unique record of being the only player as of now to have scored a hundred in both a World Cup final and a World Cup semi-final. He is also the only player to have scored a century in a World Cup final in a losing cause.
He also serves as a board member in several unlisted public limited companies in Sri Lanka. He has been a vocal critic of Sri Lanka Cricket over the years especially after 2015 where Sri Lanka national cricket has suffered the worst decline at international cricket.
In November 2021, he was inducted to the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fed ...
. He became only the third Sri Lankan to be inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame after
Muttiah Muralitharan
Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional ...
and
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
.
Career
Early and domestic career
Jayawardene was educated at
Nalanda College Colombo. At an early age Mahela's father, Senerath Jayawardene, introduced him to the Lionel Coaching Clinic run by
Nondescripts Cricket Club
Nondescripts Cricket Club (also known by its initials NCC) is a first-class cricket team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The team plays at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground.
History
The club was founded in 1888. The name "Nondescripts" is derived ...
in
Cinnamon Gardens
Cinnamon Gardens ( si, කුරුඳු වත්ත ''Kurundu Vaththa'', ta, கறுவாத் தோட்டம்) is an affluent neighbourhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located 3 kilometers south-east from Colombo's centre. Cinnamon Gar ...
. It was there that he learned to play cricket. He was a fast bowler initially during his school days and later transformed as a top order batsman. Jayawardene captained
Nalanda College Colombo first XI cricket team in 1994. He developed his talents through the school cricket team, eventually becoming captain. He was runner-up for the best schoolboy cricketer award during the 1994 cricketing season.
Domestically he has played for
Sinhalese Sports Club
The Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. Singhalese is the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, having won the Premier Trophy a record 32 times to 2017. Although the name is correctly spelt wi ...
since 1995. He made his
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
debut on 17 August 2004, for Sinhalese Sports Club in the
2004 SLC Twenty20 Tournament
The 2004 SLC Twenty20 Tournament is the 1st season of the official Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Sri Lanka. 15 teams in total, five representing four provinces of Sri Lanka and a Sri Lanka Schools XI team participating in the compet ...
. He was signed to play as an overseas player for
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
for the first half of the 2008 English cricket season. However, his commitments to Sri Lanka and involvement in the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
prevented him from playing any part in the 2008 county season.
International career
Career in the 1990s
Mahela Jayawardene is the 69th Sri Lanka Test Cap, having made his debut against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at Colombo in 1997. Jayawardene made his Test debut in the record breaking Test in 1997 against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at R.P.S.,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
. Jayawardene added 66 to Sri Lanka's first innings score of 952/6, the highest Test score ever. He was at the crease when the previous highest Test score was surpassed. Early in his career he scored 167 against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and 242 against India.
Jayawardene's
One Day International debut was against
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
at
Premadasa in January 1998. Sri Lanka won the match, with Jayawardene hitting the winning run. In the next game Jayawardene scored 74. It took only 11 matches before he scored his first century, which was against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the
Carlton and United World Series game at
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. Jayawardene entered a pressure situation, with Sri Lanka struggling at 134/4 in the run chase, but made an innings of 120 runs to win the match. The match is notable for
Ross Emerson
Ross Alexander Emerson (born 26 February 1954) is a former Australian cricket umpire who is best known for calling Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing. He also played grade cricket for Petersham-Marrickville in the Sydne ...
's no-balling of
Muttiah Muralitharan
Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional ...
for
throwing
Throwing is an action which consists in accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a remote target. This action is best characterized for animals with prehensile ...
, which led the Sri Lankan captain
Arjuna Ranatunga to lead his team to the edge of the field and consider walking out of the match, as well as physical shoulder-barging by some players.
Captaincy
Jayawardene was the captain of the Sri Lankan national team during the England tour in 2006 in the absence of
Marvan Atapattu
Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach and former cricketer who played for 17 years for Sri Lanka. Considered one of the most technically sound batsman in his era, Atapattu has scored six double ...
. He led his team to 1–1 draw in the Test series and an emphatic 5–0 whitewash in the ODI series.
In the first Test of the 2006 Test series against South Africa, Jayawardene shared a world record partnership of 624 runs alongside
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
. This partnership, the highest for any wicket in first-class cricket history, and the first instance of a stand of 600 or more in a first-class or Test match innings, smashed the previous third wicket stand for Sri Lanka, surpassing 262 which involved himself along with
Thilan Samaraweera
Thilan Thusara Samaraweera ( si, තිලාන් සමරවීර; born 22 September 1976) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer. Samaraweera played international cricket for Sri Lanka. Known as Sri Lanka's crisis man and for his sl ...
. It also broke the previous record for the third wicket partnership for all Test playing nations surpassing the 467 run partnership made by the New Zealanders
Martin Crowe
Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 – 3 March 2016) was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the count ...
and
Andrew Jones. During this innings, Jayawardene became the first Sri Lankan captain to score a Test triple-century, making 374 off 572 deliveries with 43 fours and 1 six, the fourth highest individual innings score in Test match cricket and the highest by a right-hander. He is also the first batsman to pass 350 in a Test without going on to break the world record. He also surpassed the highest score by a Sri Lankan in a Test match, previously held by
Sanath Jayasuriya
Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya ( si, සනත් ජයසූරිය, ta, சனத் ஜெயசூர்யா; born 30 June 1969), is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a captain. He is credited for having revolutionized one-day in ...
's 340 in 1997 against India, coincidentally also produced in a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
partnership.
For his performances in 2006, he was named as captain of the World ODI XI by the ICC. He was also named in the World ODI XI by Cricinfo for 2007.
He was also chosen as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in 2007. In the
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...
, Jayawardene scored one century and four half-centuries and was the second highest run-scorer of the tournament, which was topped by Australia's
Matthew Hayden. The century he scored against New Zealand helped Sri Lanka win the Semi-Final. Sri Lanka finished runners-up in the World Cup losing to
Australia in the final. His knock was named as the third-best ODI Batting Performance of the year by ESPNCricinfo. He is the only batsman in World Cup ODI history to score hundreds in both a semi final and a final of the tournament. He achieved this feat, by scoring a century in
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...
semi final against New Zealand, and a century in
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, ...
final against India. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by Cricinfo for the 2007 World Cup.
He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations. He achieved this feat on 21 February 2009 by scoring his maiden Test century against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan.
Jayawardene is the recipient of International Cricket Council's "Captain of the Year 2006", Captain of the "World One-Day International Team of the Year 2006", Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007, and the record holder for the highest score (374 runs) by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket. He also led Sri Lanka when the team won the "Spirit of Cricket Award" in 2007 and 2008. For his performances in 2008, he was named in the World Test XI by ICC.
Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to Pakistan for a Test series in March–April 2009. The series was conducted after the Indian team withdrew from playing in Pakistan, following the
November 2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from Pakistan, ...
. The first Test ended in a draw, even though he scored a double century in the first Test. Sri Lanka was in a good position in the Test with
Thilan Samaraweera
Thilan Thusara Samaraweera ( si, තිලාන් සමරවීර; born 22 September 1976) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer. Samaraweera played international cricket for Sri Lanka. Known as Sri Lanka's crisis man and for his sl ...
hitting his second successive double hundred of the series and
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan ( si, තිලකරත්න මුදියන්සේලාගේ ඩිල්ෂාන්; born 14 October 1976), commonly known as TM Dilshan () is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain of th ...
scoring a century.
On their way to the
Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium ( ur, , translit=Qaẕẕāfī Isṭeḍiyam), previously known as Lahore Stadium is a cricket stadium in Lahore, Pakistan and the home ground of Lahore Qalandars. It is owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). With a capa ...
for the third day's play, the bus that carried the Sri Lankan players was fired at by 12 masked gunmen. Jayawardene, along with six other Sri Lankan cricketers, sustained injuries. Six policemen who guarded the bus and two civilians were killed in the
attack.
Jayawardene was appointed vice-captain of the Sri Lankan team once again under
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
after
Muttiah Muralitharan
Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional ...
retired from test cricket, but resigned after the team's
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
defeat. He was appointed as captain again after Tillakaratne Dilshan resigned from the captaincy in 2012. He was the captain of
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Kochi Tuskers Kerala was a franchise cricket team that played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the city of Kochi, Kerala. The team was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside Pune Warriors India ...
in the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
and the
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) are a franchise cricket team based out of Delhi in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is jointly owned by the GMR Group and the JSW Group. The team's home ground is Arun Jaitley Stadiu ...
. He won the Spirit of Cricket Award 2013.
Post-captaincy
However, he regained some form during the
IPL 2010. Before starting their chase of 201 runs against
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are a franchise cricket team representing the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League. The franchise is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta. The Knight Riders ...
, Jayawardene expressed his desire to open the innings to captain
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
. Sangakkara agreed to his fellow countrymate and Jayawardene scored a blazing 110* off just 59 balls winning them the match in the second last over. Sangakkara, impressed by his teammate set him as opener for the Kings XI Punjab. He scored a few more entertaining knocks in vain including 44 against the
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals (often abbreviated as RR) are a franchise cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight IPL franchises, the team is based at the Sawai Ma ...
and 93* against the
Deccan Chargers
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...
. He ended the tournament with a batting average of 43.90. He was the 6th highest run scorer for the tournament and highest for the
Kings XI Punjab
Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise cricket team based in Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zi ...
.
![Mahela Jayawardene - batting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Mahela_Jayawardene_-_batting.jpg)
With
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
as the Sri Lankan captain too, Jaywardene was sent as opener for the
2010 ICC World Twenty20
The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 was the third ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that was held in the West Indies between 30 April and 16 May 2010. It was won by England, who defeated Australia in the fina ...
. In the first match against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, he scored 81 off just 51 balls. However, this knock went in vain due to the collapse in the Sri Lankan batting line-up after his wicket fell which resulted in a total of only 135 on board batting first. However, in his very next match against Zimbabwe, he scored 100 off just 64 balls helping them win the match helping them win the match defending a total of 173. He thus became the 4th player to score a
century in an Twenty20 International match and the first Sri Lankan to do so. Sri Lanka won the match by
D/L method. In the very next match against West Indies, he scored 98* off just 56 balls narrowly missing his second century in a row. This became his third consecutive score above 80.
He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2011 World Cup by the ICC.
His knock of 103* against India in the 2011 World Cup Final at Mumbai was nominated to be one of the best ODI batting performance of the year by ESPNCricinfo. For his performances in 2011, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ESPNCricinfo.
During the second Test of Sri Lanka's
tour of South Africa
The Tour of South Africa was a stage cycling race in South Africa that was only held once, in 2011. It was part of UCI Africa Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by th ...
in 2011–12, Jayawardene became the ninth player in cricket history, and the first Sri Lankan, to score 10,000 Test runs. At the end of the tour he was reappointed as Sri Lanka's captain, following the resignation of
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan ( si, තිලකරත්න මුදියන්සේලාගේ ඩිල්ෂාන්; born 14 October 1976), commonly known as TM Dilshan () is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain of th ...
.
His knock of 180 against England at Galle was also nominated to be one of the best Test batting performance of the year 2012 by ESPNCricinfo.
Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to the final of the
2012 ICC World Twenty20 against the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
on home turf. Having restricted the West Indies to 137/6, Sri Lanka were steadily making progress in chasing down the target with Jayawardene well set. Halfway through their innings, captain Jayawardene noticed that the West Indies were slightly ahead on Duckworth/Lewis with a hint of rain in the air. He subsequently decided to accelerate the innings, but this only triggered a collapse. The rain never came and Sri Lanka fell a long way short of the target. He resigned as Sri Lanka's T20 captain after the match and in 2014 also announced his retirement from T20 cricket. He was selected in the 2nd XI of the 2014 ICC World T20 Cup by Cricinfo.
He was named as captain of the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2012 T20 World Cup by the ICC.
He holds the record for the most catches in ODIs, taking 218 catches in 448 matches.
He also holds the record for the most runs in Twenty20 World Cups having scored 858 runs in 25 innings, at an average of 40.8 runs per inning, in the four ICC World Twenty20 tournaments held to date (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012).
On 31 March 2016, it was announced that Jayawaradene has signed for Somerset County Cricket to represent them in the English T20 league.
Retirement
On 25 February 2014 in an Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan, Jayawardene became only the second cricketer after
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
to appear in 600 international matches.
On 14 July 2014, Jayawardene announced his retirement from Test cricket after the 2014
Pakistan series. He played his final Test at his favourite ground, the
Sinhalese Sports Club
The Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. Singhalese is the most successful club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, having won the Premier Trophy a record 32 times to 2017. Although the name is correctly spelt wi ...
, where he scored 54 runs in his last test innings. The ground was replete with thousands of tributes.
Russell Arnold
Russel Premakumaran Arnold (Tamil: ரசல் பிரேமகுமரன் ஆனோல்ட், born 25 October 1973), or Russel Arnold, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer of Tamil descent, who played all forms of the game. He played a ...
quipped that ''Legends never retire''.
![Mahela Bowling vs England in his Final ODI in Sri Lanka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Mahela_Bowling_vs_England_in_his_Final_ODI_in_Sri_Lanka.JPG)
His last One-Day innings in Sri Lanka was played on 13 December 2014 in the last match of
England ODI series. He was caught on 28 in his last innings on home soil. Sri Lankan skipper
Angelo Mathews
Angelo Davis Mathews, (Tamil: அஞ்செலோ மத்தியூஸ்; born 2 June 1987) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain in all formats. Even though he represented Sri Lanka in all three formats, Mathews cur ...
gave him the ball to take the final wicket. He got his 8th ODI wicket by dismissing
James Tredwell
James Cullum Tredwell (born 27 February 1982) is an English former international cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, he played his domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and was appointed as County Captain fo ...
through a stumping, with Sangakkara behind the stumps. He along with Sangakkara announced that they would retire from T20I cricket after the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup and was eventually part of Sri Lanka's triumph at the 2014 T20 World Cup which was also Sri Lanka's first ICC World Twenty20 title.
![Mahela batting vs England in his final ODI in Sri Lanka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Mahela_batting_vs_England_in_his_final_ODI_in_Sri_Lanka.JPG)
On 11 January 2015, he scored his 18th ODI century against New Zealand. This was his first ODI century in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in his 17-year-long ODI career.
During a match against Australia at the
2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
, Jayawardene became the most capped player for Sri Lanka in ODIs, passing Jayasuriya's 445 ODI matches.
Jayawardene's last ODI was the quarter final of the 2015 World Cup, played against South Africa. He only scored 4 runs and Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 1999.
Personal life
Jayawardene was born to Sunila and Senerath Jayawardene at
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
in 1977. He had one younger brother, Dhishal, who died of a
brain tumour, aged 16. This affected Jayawardene psychologically, halting his cricket career for some time. Eventually he was persuaded to go on and set about rebuilding his career by his parents and teammates.
Jayawardene was married to Christina Mallika Sirisena, a travel consultant. They have one daughter, Sansa Arya Jayawardene. They divorced in 2018. Jayawardena later married Natasha Makalanda in 2021.
Charity works
Off the field, he has won praise for his personal contribution to the HOPE cancer project. With memories of his deceased brother in mind, he became the leading campaigner of HOPE. Now, with the support of his teammates, he aims to build a new 750-bed cancer unit at
Maharagama
Maharagama is an outer suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka on the High-Level (A4) Road about from the centre of the commercial capital. It developed rapidly in the 1980s as a dormitory suburb. Governed by the Maharagama Urban Council, the town possesse ...
, the country's only dedicated cancer hospital.
The first cancer Trail was walked in 2011, but due to cricket tours, he couldn't participate to the walk. The walk began in the South and ended in the North with US$2.6 million, with the contribution of 30,000 people walked in the Trail. With the money, government build a 120-bed Tellippalai Trail Cancer Hospital in
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
.
In 2016, Jayawardene accompany with Sangakkara started a charity walkathon called ''Trail as One'' for raising money for a cancer hospital, which was the second trail after 2011. The walk started on 6 October 2016 from
Point Pedro
Point Pedro ( ta, பருத்தித்துறை, translit=Paruttittuṟai; si, පේදුරු තුඩුව, translit=Pēduru Tuḍuva) is a town, located in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, at the northernmost point of the island.
...
and finished at
Dondra Head
Dondra (, ) is a settlement on the extreme southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean near Matara, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The Dondra Head Lighthouse, ruins of several Hindu shrines of Tenavaram and a Vihara (Buddhist temple) are ...
on 2 November 2016, which was 28-days 670 kilometres walk. Many other former and current Sri Lankan cricketers joined by each destination to the walk and the walk ended successfully with around US$5 million of money from all over the country.
The money was given to expand the
Karapitiya Teaching Hospital oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος ('' ...
unit in
Galle
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern ...
.
Coaching career
In August 2015, the
England Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test and County Cricket Board, ...
signed Jayawardene as batting consultant for the
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
team. He accepted the role and he was a part of the England coaching team travelling to the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
for the series against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in October, up to the
World Twenty20
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup (earlier known as ICC World Twenty20) is the international championship of Twenty20. Organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising t ...
in India.
Mahela Jayawardenewas appointed as the coach of the
Mumbai Indians team replacing
Ricky Ponting for the 10th edition of the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
in 2017.
Mumbai Indians won the
2017 Indian Premier League on 21 May 2017 beating
Rising Pune Supergiant
Rising Pune Supergiant (often abbreviated as RPS) was a franchise cricket team based in Pune, Maharashtra, that played in the Indian Premier League in 2016 and as a finalist in 2017. It was the second team representing Pune after Pune Warriors ...
at
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium
The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, also colloquially known as Hyderabad Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Located in the eastern suburb of Uppal, it has a maximum capacity of 55,000 and extend ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
. He helped Mumbai Indians repeat the feat in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, becoming only the second team ever to defend the trophy.
On 26 May 2017, he was appointed as the head coach of
Bangladesh Premier League franchise
Khulna Titans
Khulna Tigers ( bn, খুলনা টাইগার্স) are a franchise Twenty20 cricket team representing the Khulna division in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 cricket tournament. The franchise was owned by Gemcon Sports a ...
on a two-year contract replacing
Stuart Law who took up duties as the head coach of
West Indies cricket team
The West Indies cricket team, nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men's cricket team representing the mainly English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region and administered by Cricket West Indies. The players on ...
. In 2019, he was appointed as the head coach of Southampton side for the inaugural edition of
The Hundred.
In July 2021, he was appointed as the consultant of
Sri Lanka national under-19 cricket team The Sri Lankan Under-19 cricket team is the cricket team that represents Sri Lanka in International Under-19 Cricket. It consists of school-aged cricketers.
Sri Lanka's squad was announced on 23 December 2015.
Sri Lanka went on to win the tri seri ...
as a part of the
2022 Under-19 Cricket World Cup
The 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament that was held in the West Indies in January and February 2022 with sixteen teams taking part. It was the fourteenth edition of the Under-19 Cricket Worl ...
preparations and he insisted that he would be working as consultant for free of charge.
In October 2021, he served as a consultant coach of Sri Lankan national team and was part of the support staff during the first round of the
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the seventh ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament, with the matches played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from 17 October to 14 November 2021. The West Indies were the defending champions, but were eventu ...
. However, he opted to stay only for the first round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE mainly due to the bio-bubble fatigue and for personal reasons. He admitted that it was difficult as a father to not see his daughter for 135 days due to staying in quarantines and bubbles since June 2021. During his brief stint with the side during the World Cup, he was understood to have raised the standards of the players as well as the level of data analysis utilized by the team.
He was appointed by
Sri Lanka Cricket as the consultant coach of Sri Lanka men’s national cricket team, Sri Lanka national U19 cricket team as well as the Sri Lanka A cricket team starting with immediate effect from 1 January 2022 for a time period of one year. His coaching stint would be split in order to make room for his coaching stints in franchise cricket for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and for Southern Brave in The Hundred. During his one year deal as consultant coach of Sri Lanka national side, he would provide strategic support for players and management teams at SLC’s high performance centre.
Business
In July 2021, he joined the board of
Janashakthi Insurance PLC after accepting an invitation and it also marked the first instance for Mahela to have joined a listed company. He was appointed as the non executive/independent director of Janashakthi Insurance.
Product and brand endorsements
*
Mobitel (Sri Lanka)
SLT-MOBITEL (formerly known as Sri Lanka Telecom, si, ශ්රී ලංකා ටෙලිකොම්, Śrī Laṃkā Ṭelikom, ta, ஸ்ரீலங்கா டெலிகொம்) is the national telecommunications services provide ...
* DSI holdings Ltd.
*
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
-
Credits
Television
Player statistics
Career performance
Centuries
Jayawardene has 34 test, 19 ODI and 1 T20I centuries. He is the first Sri Lankan and third overall to score hundreds in all forms of the game.
Honours
* ICC Captain of the Year 2006
* Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007
* ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2013
* ICC Hall of Fame 2021
International records
; Tests
* Highest partnership for any wicket – 624 for the third wicket with
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
in 2006.
* Highest partnership for the fourth wicket – 437 with
Thilan Samaraweera
Thilan Thusara Samaraweera ( si, තිලාන් සමරවීර; born 22 September 1976) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer. Samaraweera played international cricket for Sri Lanka. Known as Sri Lanka's crisis man and for his sl ...
against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in 2009.
Second highest for the fourth wicket of all time.
* Highest partnership for the sixth wicket – 351 with
Prasanna Jayawardene
Hewasandatchige Asiri Prasanna Wishvanath Jayawardene ( Sinhala: හේවාසන්දච්චිගේ ආසිරි ප්රසන්න විශ්වනාත් ජයවර්ධන) (born 10 September 1979), commonl ...
* Highest partnership for the eighth wicket – 170 with
Chaminda Vaas
Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (born 27 January 1974) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer, who played all forms of the game, and a former ODI captain who is often described as the greatest fast medium bowl ...
against South Africa in 2004.
* "c Jayawardene b Muralitharan" is the most common bowler-fielder combination in the history of Test cricket (77).
* Highest individual score in Tests by a Sri Lankan – 374 runs against South Africa in 2006.
* Highest test score by a visiting batsman in India - 275 runs at Ahmedabad in 2009.
* Most test catches for Sri Lanka. 205 - Second most for any fielder in test history.
; One-Day Internationals
* Most number of ODI matches for Sri Lanka – 448 matches
* Most number of catches – 218 catches in 448 matches. The only fielder in ODI history to take 200 ODI catches.
* Highest partnership for third wicket – 226 with
Marvan Atapattu
Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach and former cricketer who played for 17 years for Sri Lanka. Considered one of the most technically sound batsman in his era, Atapattu has scored six double ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 2000.
* Highest partnership for seventh wicket – 126 with
Upul Chandana
Deshabandu Umagiliya Durage Upul Chandana (born 7 May 1972), popularly known as Upul Chandana, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played both Tests and ODIs. He was more specifically a leg spin bowler and was also an outstanding fielder. Unfo ...
against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 2005.
* Only batsman to score centuries both in a world cup final and a world cup semifinal.
; Twenty20 Internationals
* The first Sri Lankan to score a
T20 international century.
* Only Sri Lankan to have scored a century in T20 World Cups.
See also
*
Mahela-Sanga Challenge Trophy Nalanda College, Colombo has been playing first XI cricket with Trinity College, Kandy since 1978.
Wisden Cricketers of the Year recipients in the caliber of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were educated namely at Nalanda College, Colombo a ...
References
External links
*
Mahela Jayawardenes profile page on Wisden
Mahela Jayawardene at Sportskeeda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayawardene, Mahela
Sri Lankan cricketers
Sri Lanka One Day International cricketers
Sri Lanka Test cricketers
Sri Lanka Twenty20 International cricketers
Sri Lanka Test cricket captains
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Sinhalese Sports Club cricketers
ACC Asian XI One Day International cricketers
Cricketers at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
1977 births
Living people
Central Districts cricketers
Delhi Capitals cricketers
Punjab Kings cricketers
Sri Lankan terrorism victims
Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Wayamba cricketers
Kochi Tuskers Kerala cricketers
North Central Province cricketers
Trinbago Knight Riders cricketers
Sri Lankan cricket coaches
Jamaica Tallawahs cricketers
Sinhalese sportspeople
Adelaide Strikers cricketers
Sri Lankan cricket commentators
Commonwealth Games competitors for Sri Lanka
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers