Sri Lankans, led by their dashing opener Sanath Jayasuriya, have taken top three places in the latest CEAT International Cricketer of the Year ratings.
Jayasuriya's record-breaking feats with the bat in the recently concluded test and one-day series against India have given him 86 points, placing him well-ahead of the rest of the contenders at the top of the ratings. Master batsman Aravinda de Silva, with 41 points is in second place, followed by wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitheran with 40.
With Roshan Mahanama occupying 7th place in the ratings, Sri Lankas hold four of the top ten positions in the 1997-98 CEAT international cricketer programme, now in its third year. Brian Lara of the West Indies and Venkatesh Prasad of India were CEATs first two international cricketers of the year.
A notable feature about Jayasuriya's performance is the fact that he already has 86 points, with seven months to go. In contrast, last year's No 1 player Venkatesh Prasad's final tally at the end of the year was 92. India's tour of Sri Lanka has been particularly helpful to Aravinda de Silva who has moved up from 13th in the ratings to second.
The CEAT Cricket Ratings system which was devised by Professional Management Group (PMG) India's, first sports promotion and marketing company and CEAT, one of India's and Sri Lanka's leading tyre manufacturers, is overseen by three cricketing legends, Clive Lloyd, Ian Chappel and Sunil Gavaskar. It is based on players performances in test and one day internationals played over 12 months, from May 1 to April 30.