Sanath Jayasurya

Very rarely in history does one man shape the sporting fortunes of a nation. Sanath Jayasuriya quite clearly achieved that with just his forearms, but after a prolonged delay. He used his forearms to just whip the ball at will and then turned his arm over with the ball to leave behind a legacy that will be hard to emulate. For a nation yearning to break into the big league, it required just the unorthodoxy of Sanath to break away from the past. When lights shone brightly over Sri Lanka at Lahore�s Gaddafi Stadium in the 1996 Cricket World Cup, it was all down to the brilliance of this young man from Matara. While he made a name for himself as a rebel with a cause, he did change tracks later to take on roles quite alien to his nature as captain, chairman of selectors, politician and minister. But while success proved easier as a foot soldier, the rise in the ranks was not always that profitable. This is the story of that man.

Categories: Biography & Autobiography