10 Greatest ODI cricketers of all-time

7. Sanath Jayasuriya

Whenever Sanath Jayasuriya came out to bat, he resembled a soldier on borderline putting his body online for the country and his gun was his willow, which ruthlessly belaboured many bowlers. His attacking instinct was unmatched and in the revolution that began under Arjuna Ranatunga’s leadership, the southpaw was his deadliest weapon.

His way of batting signalled how ODI cricket was going to change. Although not many dared to replicate his heroics in those days, right now we see every captain search for someone like a Jayasuriya in their ranks, but there was no one like him and there will not be.

He was criminally under-rated as a bowler, but 300+ wickets suggest how well he understood the format. He was part of a mission to bring glory to Lankan cricket and we need not stress on how successful he and his teammates were in that prospect.

Career Statistics

Matches – 445 | Runs scored – 13,430 | Batting average – 32.36 | Strikerate – 91.20 | Highest score – 189 | 100s/50s – 28/68 | Wickets –  329 | Bowling average – 36.75