Mahela Jayawardene: Sri Lanka's Elegant Master Batter

Mahela Jayawardene scored 11,814 Test runs at 49.84 in 149 Tests — Sri Lanka's highest run-scorer in Tests and one of the most elegant batters the game has produced. A classical right-handed batter with exceptional hand-eye coordination, he was Sri Lanka's pre-eminent Test batter from the late 1990s until his retirement in 2014.

The 374 vs South Africa

Jayawardene's most celebrated innings — 374 against South Africa at Colombo's SSC ground in 2006 — briefly made him the holder of the highest individual Test score, surpassing Brian Lara's 353 not out from 1994 before Lara reclaimed the record. The innings was chanceless across several sessions and showed Jayawardene at his composed best.

Captaincy

Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2011, leading them to the 2007 World Cup Final (where they lost to Australia) and maintaining Sri Lanka's status among the world's top Test sides. He was considered a thoughtful and innovative captain, notably using unorthodox attacking fields.

Limited Overs

In ODIs, Jayawardene scored 12,650 runs — the second-most by any Sri Lankan — at 33.37. In T20Is, his elegant style and experience in powerplay overs made him a consistent performer. He played the 2014 T20 World Cup Final in Bangladesh where Sri Lanka beat India.