10 Scorecards That Prove That Sanath Jayasuriya Was From A Different Planet

By Madhvendra Singh On Jun 2, 2023

Just the name of Sanath Jayasuriya can evoke fear in 90s cricket fans. Hailing from Sri Lanka he was not only influential in winning them many matches but is also credited with changing the way ODI cricket was played and bringing the era of hard-hitting top-order batsman into the world of cricket. To help you understand how amazing he was, we got you scorecards that prove Jayasuriya was from a different planet altogether.

Also read: 10 Quotes On The Legendary Cricketer – Sanath Jayasuriya

1.) Aged 39, Jayasuriya scores 26 Runs In An Over in the 2008 Asia Cup Final

Jayasuriya was 39 while playing for Sri Lanka in the 2008 Asia Cup Final. They were reduced to 66/4 against India when Jayasuriya hit RP Singh for 3 huge sixes and 2 fours and hit 26 runs off the over. From 87/4, he singlehandedly brought the team to 113/4 in an over.

2.) 196-1 in 20.3 overs in 1995–96 Singer Cup: 9 Years Before the First International T20 Match Was Played!

In the first match of the 1995–96 Singer Cup, Jayasuriya played a blistering innings of 134 off just 65 balls. And this was in 1996 still 9 years before the first T20 match is played! And he did this also against the formidable bowling attack of Pakistan which comprised Aaqib Javed, Aamer Sohail, Saqlin Mushtaq & Waqar Younis

3.) 50 scored in 3.4 overs: Jayasuriya scores 76 off 28 balls in the Singer Cup Final but Sri Lanka fails to chase 215

In the final of the Singer Cup as well, Jayasuriya produced another T20-like knock hitting 76 runs off just 28 deliveries! However, it was not at all a batting-friendly pitch. Pakistan with a good batting lineup in Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, and Saleem Malik in the first innings just scored 215 runs.

His opening partner R Kaluwitharana departed scoring a duck and consumed 11 of the 32 deliveries bowled so far in Sri Lanka’s innings. When he got out the team score was 70/1 of which 66 runs were scored by Jayasuriya and 4 were extras. Jayasuriya scored the fastest 50 of that time off just 17 balls(and the record remained so for a long time). Sri Lankan innings lost its way after Jayasuriya’s wicket and they lost the match by 43 runs with 7 of their batsman scoring in Single Digits.

4.) 252/0 In 26.2 Overs: Sri Lanka chases 321 in 37.3 overs as Jayasuriya Scores 152 Off 99 Deliveries

In the 5th ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of England at Leeds in 2006, England batted first and put on a massive total of 321 for Sri Lanka to chase. In the early 2000s, anything above 300 was considered a good score and difficult to chase. England would have been happy with their score, however by the end of the match they must have thought they were at least 100 runs short. This is because Jayasuriya scored 152 off 99, and dominated the England bowling line-up. The target of 321 was chased in just 37.3 overs.

5.) 151 Runs off 120 Balls for Jayasuriya

India batted first and put on a total of 225/7. Jayasuriya brilliantly set up the chase for Sri Lanka by single-handedly destroying the Indian bowling attack. He scored 151 off 120 balls while the rest of the Sri Lankan team scored just 65 off 127 balls. Just tells you how destructive a batsman he was.

6.) 42/0 In 3 Overs: Jayasuriya Finishes the Career of Indian All-Rounder Manoj Prabhakar

In the 1996 World Cup group stage, India face Sri Lanka. India bats first and puts on a huge total of 271 in 50 overs, Sachin Tendulkar playing at a 100 strike scored 137 runs. However, his knock would soon be overshadowed by Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka gave Jayasurya “The License to Kill” in the first 15 overs to make full use of fielding restrictions, this was the beginning of the hard-hitting powerplay era.

Sri Lanka thus scored 42 runs in the first 3 overs and with Manoj Prabhakar conceding 33 of 2 overs. Later, Prabhakar came for his second spell where he was almost forced to bowl off-spin rather than pace. In the end, Prabhakar conceded 47 runs in 4 overs in the match, he even retired after this match. Thus, Jayasuriya literally finished Prabhkar’s career. Jayasuriya scored 79 off 76 balls and the start that he gave ensured that the middle order could score at lower strike rates and ultimately chase the target. He was also awarded the Man Of The Match even though Sachin had scored 137 runs!

7.) Jayasuriya’s spell of 3/12 Against India in the 1996 World Cup Semi-Finals

In the 1996 World Cup Semi-Final between India and Sri Lanka, India dismissed Jayasuriya early. He had destroyed India’s bowling attack in the group stage of the tournament and thus Indians thought that the Jayasuriya threat was over. But Jayasuriya reminded Indians that he had actually come into the Sri Lankan team as a bowler and not a batsman. He bowled 7 overs gave away only 12 runs and claimed 3 wickets! In his spell, he took the wickets of Tendulkar, Manjrekar, and Ajay Jadeja which was the backbone of India’s batting line-up.

8.) 200/0 In 23.3 Overs

In the first ODI match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in 2006, New Zealand bat first and put on a good total of 286. However, any hopes of victory for New Zealand came crashing down when Jayasuriya produced another destructive ODI innings. Sri Lanka reached 200 in just 23.3 overs, all thanks to Jayasuriya’s knock of 111 runs off just 82 deliveries.

9.) 6-6-6-6-4-2 to break his own record!

Jayasuriya scored 30 runs off a Chris Harris Over in 2001 and thereby broke his own record for max runs scored in an over in ODIs back then.

10.) 4-4-4-4-4-4 in his Last Test Match Against James Anderson!

Even while playing his last test match, Jayasuriya showed what he is known for. In the same destructive manner he played cricket, he hit 6 consecutive fours in an over, and that too against James Anderson.

With that, we come to the end of this article, we hope you enjoyed reading about the scorecards that prove that Sanath Jayasuriya was a badass. Do share this article with your friends, till then adios!