Prasanna establishes himself as a batsman
by Tyrell Peiris
For sometime, Prasanna Jayawardene, despite the credentials of the
best wicket-keeper around in Sri Lanka, had to stay on the sidelines.
That was a period when the national selectors preferred to have a
specialist batsman cum wicket-keeper in the national side. As such,
those years when he could not make the Sri Lanka team were bitter days
for Hewasandatchige Prasanna Wishvanath Jayawardene.
 And when Prasanna finally did get the selectors’ nod to wear the Sri
Lanka cap on July 28, 2000 in the Sri Lanka versus Pakistan match in
Kandy, most cricket observers did not think much about his batting
virtues other than his acrobatic wicket-keeping which had at last earned
him a place. But on his debut he had to sit in the dressing room as Sri
Lanka batted throughout the first three days before rain washed out
play.
But although Prasanna caught the eyes of the selectors then, still he
did not find permanency in the team with the re-emergence of Romesh
Kaluwitharana and then the arrival of Kumar Sangakkara. But with the
selectors voicing concern about overburdening Sangakkara, finally
Prasanna was recalled to the side in April 2004 for the tour of
Zimbabwe. But it was not until 2006’,’07 that Prasanna Jayawardene was
able to establish himself in the side as the regular stumper allowing
Sangakkara to play as a batsman.
Ever since the lad kept impressing behind the stumps accounting for
some stunning catches and stumpings that had even international experts
like former Australian captain turned commentator considering Prasanna
to be one of the best in his trade in the world. But as a batsman he
played a secondary role as a mediocre batter contributing the odd 30 or
40.
But Prasanna pleasingly showed he had potential with the bat when he
scored a century against Bangladesh in the following tour. And that was
not to be a flash in the pan as the right-hander made India the soil to
show that he had the class of a batsman partnering his namesake Mahela
in a record breaking 351-run partnership for the sixth wicket while
helping himself to a quality knock of 154 in the drawn first Test match
against India on November 19. In fact, Prasanna joined the record books
in shattering a 72-year old record held by the late Sir Donald Bradman
and Jack Fingleton of 346 against England at Melbourne in 1937.
As a wicket keeper Prasanna has over 60 dismissals to his credit from
28 Test outings including 19 stumpings. He made his ODI debut in 2003
versus Pakistan at Sharjah on April 4 and has played in six matches in
all with 4 dismissals behind the stumps.
With his latest century and a half achievement against India,
Prasanna has at last established himself as a dependable middle order
batsman who can give depth to the batting in a shaky area which has been
of concern to the selectors. |
