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After making his debut in 1998, Mahela Jayawardene went on to become one of the most sought-after batters not only for Sri Lanka but in world cricket too. Jayawardene, who was considered one of the best batters of his generation, played for the Asian side for 17 long years and with his explosive batting abilities and masterclass, the batter scripted a lot of records especially in the ODI format.
Jayawardena was known for his immaculate skills and perfect timing of the ball and on the back of his remarkable patience and composure, he led his team to many famous victories during his hey days. One of his memorable performances was his century in the 2011 ODI World Cup final match against India. Jayawardene created a mark with his remarkable hundred in the summit clash of the ICC event but the Lankans lost the contest.
Star Sri Lanka batter Mahela Jayawardene happens to be one of the very few batters in world cricket to have crossed the 10000 run mark in ODIs. There are only 15 batters in world cricket who have accumulated more than 10000 runs in the 50-over format and the former Sri Lankan player occupies the sixth position in the elite list with 12650 runs in 448 matches in the format. With a batting average of almost 34 and a strike rate of close to 80, Jayawardene gave tough competition to all his batting rivals in the era.
After hitting 19 centuries and 77 half-centuries, Jayawardene has been credited as an asset for the Sri Lankan side in the years with some exquisite match-winning performances and playing a fearless game of cricket in tough situations. Jayawardene boasts an incredible ODI record against New Zealand and India and also scored his 18th ODI century, his second-last overall, against the Kiwis on their turf.
This was the first time the talented Lankan batter smashed a hundred in New Zealand during his long career. After a brief captaincy stint in the Test and the ODI format simultaneously, which included captaining Sri Lanka in the 2007 ODI World Cup, Jayawardene faced a fate similar to that of Sachin Tendulkar, where he struggled to score runs on his personal front. After being the skipper of the side for couple of years, Jayawardene quit captaincy to focus on his batting and soon after returned to form delivering for Sri Lanka for few more years before finally calling it quits in 2015.
