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Test cricket is losing its pirate. Sanath Jayasuriya has boomed his last ‘ha-haaaa’ to the point boundary. He’s carrying on in one-day internationals, so it’s not the ‘end-end’. It’s just an end. A bit of a sad one.
It wasn’t sad watching him, though. He larruped every ball of one James Anderson over for four. ‘Ha-haaaa, take that!’ he said. ‘And that. And that. And, er, that. And that. Sod it – take that as well (might as well have the full set.)
His final Test innings was a rapid and crucial 78, which is a perfect Jayasuriya innings. Okay, he hit 340 once (Sri Lanka 952-6 declared v India) but the quickfire fifty was more his thing.
We’ll remember Jayasuriya for the occasions when we first saw a Sri Lankan score when he was already out. ‘Eh? That can’t be right, can it?’ we’d think, before a commentator would enlighten us by saying that our baldy pirate had hit 55 off 20 balls before anyone realised the match had started.
We propose that a scything cut be renamed ‘a Sanath’ in his honour. ‘Michael Clarke played a searing Sanath over the point fielder’s head to reach his fifty.’
Sri Lanka v England, day three of the first Test at Kandy
Sri Lanka 188 all out (Kumar Sangakkara 92, Prasanna Jayawardene 51, Matthew Hoggard 4-29, Monty Panesar 3-46)
England 281 (Ian Bell 83, Muttiah Muralitharan 6-55)
Sri Lanka 167-2 (Benevolent Uncle Sanath 78)
