Mahela Jayawardene: 11,814 Test Runs and Sri Lanka's Greatest Captain
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene was born on 27 May 1977 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He played 149 Tests (1997–2015), scoring 11,814 runs at 49.84 — the fifth-highest total in Test history at the time of his retirement. He scored 34 Test centuries. He captained Sri Lanka in 52 Tests (2006–2009) with 23 wins — the most wins by any Sri Lanka captain in Tests. In the 2007 World Cup Final against Australia in Barbados, he scored 115* — the highest individual score in a World Cup Final. He formed a 624-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara against South Africa at Colombo in 2006 — the second-highest partnership in Test history. He was a key architect of T20 cricket tactics as Sri Lanka captain during the 2009–2014 era.
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene was born on 27 May 1977 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He made his Test debut against India in August 1997 and played 149 Tests from 1997 to 2015, scoring 11,814 runs at 49.84. He scored 34 Test centuries. He captained Sri Lanka in 52 Tests with 23 wins — Sri Lanka's most successful Test captain by wins. He retired from all international cricket after the 2015 cricket season.
2007 World Cup Final: 115* Against Australia
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Final between Sri Lanka and Australia at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 28 April 2007, Jayawardene scored 115* from 109 balls — the highest individual score in a World Cup Final. Sri Lanka scored 254/5 from their 36 overs (the match was reduced by rain). Australia chased 257 and won under Duckworth-Lewis by 53 runs (adjusted). Despite Sri Lanka's loss, Jayawardene's 115* stood as the highest individual score in any World Cup Final, surpassing Clive Lloyd's 102 (1975) and Ricky Ponting's 140* (2003). Australia won their third consecutive World Cup.
The 624-Run Partnership with Sangakkara
On 27–28 July 2006, Jayawardene (374) and Sangakkara (287) put on a partnership of 624 against South Africa in the 2nd Test at Colombo (SSC) — the second-highest partnership in Test history after Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith's 338 for South Africa against Bangladesh (2003). Jayawardene's 374 is also the highest individual score in Test history by a Sri Lankan and one of the top five individual scores in Test history. The partnership came in a match Sri Lanka won by an innings and 153 runs. Jayawardene's 374 came off 572 balls over two days — it was built on technique rather than aggression, hitting 43 fours and no sixes.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Sri Lanka lose the 2007 World Cup Final despite Jayawardene's 115* being the highest score in a World Cup Final, and how did the Duckworth-Lewis method affect the result?
Sri Lanka's loss in the 2007 World Cup Final is one of cricket's most unusual results in terms of the relationship between individual performance and team outcome. Jayawardene scored 115* — the highest score in a World Cup Final — and Sri Lanka posted 254/5 from 36 overs (the match having been reduced by rain to 38 overs for Australia's chase, then further adjusted). Australia were set 257 to win under Duckworth-Lewis in a rain-affected match — a revised target. Australia were 7/33 when rain interrupted their innings, further adjustments were applied, and when play resumed Australia needed 218 from 36 overs, then more rain-stops produced further adjustments. Australia ultimately reached their revised DLS target with the final adjustments requiring them to score 269 from 38 overs; on the DLS calculation, they were 53 runs ahead when the match ended. The formal result — Australia won by 53 runs (DLS method) — was confusing to many observers and audiences because Australia had not visually 'won' in the conventional sense (they did not reach a target in full by hitting the winning runs). The 2007 Final is frequently cited in discussions about whether DLS provides fair and understandable results in knockout matches, since the match's narrative was dominated by Sri Lanka's batting (Jayawardene's 115*) and Australia's winning without fully playing out a chase. Australia's 2007 win was their third consecutive World Cup title.