Asking Jayasuriya to bat down the order is not worth a gamble

Very few sportsmen in the world today carry on playing at the age of 40, particularly in Cricket, wherein the schedule is so demanding. Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the few exceptions around, It requires a lot of courage, determination & most importantly the hunger & zeal towards the sport.

Yes the body has its own story to tell at the age of 40, yet the man from Matara continues to play the game with the same intensity. The slash over the point still travels to the advertising boards like a tracer bullet, the pickup shot still gets effortlessly deposited into the stands, and the match winning ability with the bat isn’t dwindling either.

Despite all the accomplishments and credentials questions have been raised on the presence of Jayasuriya in the Sri Lankan scheme of things. Many feel perhaps it’s time for Jayasuriya to pass on the torch to a young prodigy in the country. But are they drawing curtains on Sanath a bit too early, hang on the man is still delivering on a consistent note. Probably the question that everyone needs to ask is, whether there is anybody in Sri Lanka to fill the big boots of Sanath? Let’s face it it’s not easy to replace Sanath. So for how long can the man continue playing?

To make matters worse for Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan management has asked him to step down the batting order to provide more stability to the team. Although the position is not new for Sanath, as he started off his career in the middle order. But it’s hard to comprehend such a move, simply because the man has been more prolific opening the batting for Sri Lanka, and his records speaks volumes of his ability at the top.

Now is the move to bat Jayasuriya down the order justified? Apparently the coach and the Captain want him to strengthen the middle order, but in the bargain are missing out on something substantial .Clearly the Lankans are missing a trick by depriving Sanath of opening the batting, which is already proving detrimental to their cause. Mind you he has won innumerable matches on his own batting at the top for the side, so I see no concrete reason for the demotion.

Now that the experiment is not paying off, it’s imperative to reconsider the decision.

As I write this piece, my mind takes me back to the 1996 world cup, the lethal pair of Romesh Kaluwitharana & Sanath Jayasuriya were going berserk, decimating the opposition bowlers all over the sub continent, above all they complimented each other pretty well. Now Sri Lanka is extremely lucky here, the reason I say that is purely because of Dilshan”s resurgence. The Sri Lankans can relive the Kaluwitharana & Jayasuriya partnership by asking Sanath & Dishan to open on a consistent basis. Imagine the destruction these two can cause to the opposition.

We can only speculate about Jayasuriya’s retirement, but till the time he actually does hang his boots let’s hope & wish that is back to the position where he is second best to none.