Last updated on April 13th, 2024 at 05:10 pm
Mahela Jayawardena is one of the most accomplished cricket players in the world. He is a batting legend who has achieved some of the sport’s most prestigious honors. Here are just a few things you need to know about this cricketing icon.
1. Mahela Jayawardena: A brief biography
Mahela Jayawardena was born on 27th May, 1977, in Matara, Sri Lanka. He is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lankan national cricket team. He is considered one of the greatest batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced.
Mahela made his first-class debut for Nondescripts Cricket Club in 1995 and his One Day International (ODI) debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan the following year. He soon established himself in the Sri Lankan team, scoring a century on his Test debut in 1997. He was appointed captain of the Sri Lankan team in 2007, and led the team in 38 Tests and 79 ODIs. He retired from international cricket in 2014.
Mahela is the first Sri Lankan cricketer to score a triple century in Test cricket, and the second Sri Lankan cricketer (after Kumar Sangakkara) to score a double century in ODIs. He is also the only batsman to score a century in all three formats of international cricket. He has scored over 28,000 runs in international cricket, including 54 centuries and 147 fifties.
Mahela is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen of his generation, and one of the greatest batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced.
2. Mahela Jayawardena: A family man
Mahela Jayawardena is a family man. Married to his childhood sweetheart, he is the father of two young children. Away from the cricket field, he is a regular homebody, preferring to spend time at home with his family rather than going out. He is known for being a very down-to-earth person, unaffected by his fame and status. This is most evident in the way he interacts with his fans, always taking the time to stop and chat with them, even if he is in a hurry. Jayawardena is a strong believer in family values and is a role model for young Sri Lankans.
3. Mahela Jayawardena: Domestic Career highlights
Mahela Jayawardena is one of the most successful batsmen in Sri Lankan cricket history. He made his first-class debut at the age of 16 and scored a century on debut. He played in Sri Lanka’s first ever Test in 1992 and scored a century in his second Test. He was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Jayawardena was the captain of Sri Lanka from 2007 to 2009. He retired from international cricket in 2014.
Jayawardena was a prolific batsman in domestic cricket as well. He scored over 16,000 runs in first-class cricket and more than 7000 runs in List A cricket. He was the captain of the Tamil Union cricket team for more than a decade. He won the Sri Lankan Premier League with the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in 2011.
4. Mahela Jayawardena: ICC International Career highlights
-Mahela Jayawardena is a Sri Lankan cricketer who has played in international cricket for over 20 years.
-He is one of the most successful batsmen in the world, and has scored over 30,000 international runs.
-Jayawardena has been a part of some of the most successful teams in international cricket, and has won numerous accolades and awards.
-He is the only player in history to score a century in both his first and last Tests.
-Jayawardena is also the only player to score a century in a World Cup final.
-He is a five-time winner of the Sri Lankan Cricketer of the Year award, and a two-time winner of the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award.
-Jayawardena will retire from international cricket at the end of the 2016 Sri Lankan season.
5. Mahela Jayawardena: IPL Career highlights
Mahela Jayawardena is one of the Sri Lankan cricketing legends. He had a successful IPL career, with the Chennai Super Kings being his most successful franchise.
Jayawardena was a consistent performer in the IPL, averaging 35.14 with a strike rate of 131.14. He scored 1,734 runs in 95 innings, with five half-centuries and two centuries.
His most successful season in the IPL was in 2011, when he averaged 54.33 and scored 398 runs in 14 innings. He was also named the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 Champions League T20.
Jayawardena is the only player to have scored centuries in the Champions League T20, World T20 and IPL.
6. Mahela Jayawardena: Achievements
Mahela Jayawardena is one of the most successful batsmen in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. He has scored more than 12,000 runs in Test cricket, and is the first Sri Lankan to score more than 10,000 runs in one-day internationals. He has also been a part of some of Sri Lanka’s most successful cricket teams, winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996 and the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014. Jayawardena’s batting style is based around constructing long innings, and he is often able to score runs at a slower rate than other batsmen. This makes him a difficult batsman to bowl to, as he is able to score runs when other batsmen might be playing more aggressively.
7. Mahela Jayawardena : The philanthropist
Mahela Jayawardena is a world-renowned cricketer who has made significant contributions to the game both on and off the field. He is widely respected for his cricketing skills, but he is also known for his generosity and philanthropy. Jayawardena has set up a number of charities and fund-raising initiatives in Sri Lanka, and he has also been involved in many disaster relief efforts. He is a role model for young people in Sri Lanka and around the world, and he is a true ambassador for the sport of cricket.
