Lankan sports blessed with the initials 'SJ'

Sri Lanka sports has been blessed with the initials 'SJ' which stands for two of the greatest sporting heroes of our times, be it locally or internationally. One 'SJ' belongs to the cricketing arena while the other underlined her supremacy as a sprint queen.

The first 'SJ' we have been talking about is none other than our master blaster, Sanath Jayasuriya, who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament in Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph.

The other 'SJ', who brought sporting glory to Sri Lanka is none other than Susanthika Jayasinghe, who won Sri Lanka an Olympic medal after 52 years.

True that both these sporting heroes are ageing and have reached the final bend in their careers. I see a lot in common in these two star sporting Sri Lankan heroes.

Apart from sharing the same initials which stands for their first names and surnames - SJ. Both their surnames start with 'Jaya' which means victory in Sinhala.

They have lived up to that Sinhala meaning at all levels, brining many victories for Sri Lanka. They have been sporting ambassadors who have kept the Lion flag fluttering high in the international arena.

Both Jayasuriya (Matara) and Jayasinghe (Warakapola) are rural products who had humble beginnings with immense hardships.

But they overcame all odds to reach the top. Their achievements are hard to beat, or even emulate. Becoming Player of a World Cup tournament or scoring a marathon 340 runs in a Test match are no easy tasks. That makes Jayasuriya one of the best ever cricketers in World cricket.

Similarly, Jayasinghe is the only Lankan woman to win an Olympic medal and only the second from our country after the late Duncan White who won a silver way back in 1948.

It was Jayasinghe who broke that 52-year-old hoodoo in Sydney 2000 Games. Moreover, Jayasinghe is the only Sri Lankan to win a medal in the IAAF World Championship history. She achieved this rare honour twice - in 1997 Athens (silver) and in 2007 Osaka (bronze).

Though the duo have many other sporting achievements to their credit, the few feats mentioned above alone make them special sporting personalities.

Talking about what is common in them, most importantly, the criticism they have faced over the years. Though there are millions of supporters to cheer when Jayasuriya is batting or when Jayasinghe does her blistering run on track, they have to face equal volume of criticism when they fail.

That too is understandable as expectations of our sports fans are high whenever Jayasuriya walks out to the middle to bat or Jayasinghe comes under the starter's orders. But what baffles me is the unreasonable and bias criticism both Jayasuriya and Jayasinghe have been forced to face from time to time.

There have been many organised media campaigns against Jayasuriya and Jayasinghe. I would agree with one point those critics highlight - that they are aging and old. Yet, they still have not lost their old touch and Sri Lanka still depends on them as we have not found replacements who could come anywhere near their feats.

Hence, though the so-called critics continue to attack the duo, they themselves, along with the majority of sports fans, still depend on Jayasuriya and Jayasinghe to deliver. More importantly, both of them still look and have not lost their rhythm, despite the fact that they are in their 30s.

Last week at the Wankhede Stadium, Jayasuriya proved that age has nothing to do with his batting capabilities with another majestic knock. He was at his brilliant best, making a power-packed unbeaten century in the Indian Premier League.

Scoring a Twenty20 century in a highly competitive tournament which has attracted the cream of international cricketers, is no easy task. But when Jayasuriya is in full cry, there is nobody who could challenge or equal his willow power.

It looked like as though Jayasuriya was reborn as 102 off his unbeaten knock of 114 runs came in boundaries. It was an innings reminiscent of the mid-90s, a time when Jayasuriya filled bowlers with a sense of fear, especially during the 1996 World Cup. Incidentally, it was the same ground on which Jayasuriya hammered an unforgettable 151 not out in the Independence Cup in 1997.

But when Jayasuriya was making his willow to do the talking, our selectors dropped a bombshell by dropping the master blaster from next month's Asia Cup tournament. But their immediately rectified the blunder.

Though media reports said Jayasuriya was brought back on the instructions of Minister Gamini Lokuge, the Sports Minister has denied that.

But there is noting wrong even if Minister Lokuge interferes with the selections when there is a gross injustice.

He has all the right to consult the necessary people and arrive at the most appropriate decision before inking the final line-up. It is unfortunate that some critics continue to attack Jayasuriya in an organised manner.

It was reported that selector Don Anurasiri was not in favour of including Jayasuriya. Though the majority were in favour of playing Jayasuriya, unconfirmed reports said Anurasiri and captain Mahela Jayawardene had other ideas, stating that they are looking for a team that could be groomed for the next World Cup tournament in 2011.

There is truth in what they are saying. But that does not mean we should bury a player like Jayasuriya who is still good.

If the national selection policy was purely for giving youngsters an opportunity and purely on merit, Don Anurasiri would not have got so much of opportunities during his time with his moderate spin bowling.

In 18 Tests, he had captured only 41 wickets with an unimpressive average of 37.75 with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling.

It was still worse in ODIs, where he had only 32 scalps in 45 games averaging 45.75. Having grabbed so much of opportunities without any big achievements, it looks morally wrong for Anurasiri to adopt such a policy to Jayasuriya who is still performing well.

Similarly, when almost everybody thought sprinter Jayasinghe's days were over, she once again emerged victorious during her lead up to the Beijing Olympic Games.