Sanath Jayasuriya

Explosive Sri Lankan opening batsman whose fearless attacking play in the 1996 World Cup rewrote batting philosophy, scoring at a then-revolutionary strike rate and reshaping limited-overs cricket.

Sanath Jayasuriya revolutionised limited-overs cricket as Sri Lanka's explosive opening batsman, pioneering the aggressive approach to powerplay batting that is now universal in the game. He was the architect of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph, taking the tournament by storm with his fearless hitting. Also a dangerous left-arm spinner, Jayasuriya is Sri Lanka's greatest cricketing icon.