Wisden overview
One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball found belated fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup, only then to demonstrate he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests. He remains dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces, but uncertainty has entered his five-day game since he took over from Arjuna Ranatunga as Sri Lanka's captain in 1999. Short of stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, his brutal bat-wielding at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up opponents have learned to set traps in the gully to stem the flow of runs through Jayasuriya's favourite area. A useful orthodox left-arm spinner. Simon Wilde

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