Farewell to Captain Mahela

Amidst the carnage, dead pitches and Australia's resurgence, Sri Lankan cricket fans have said Goodbye to their most successful leader. Unfortunately, for all involved, it wasn't the farewell anyone would have hoped for and it's quite understandable that the end of his reign has been overshadowed by the destructive events of Lahore. Either way, without delving on to the topic that has rightfully brought the game global attention, I think Mahela Jayawardene deserves a note.

It was said that Mahela was ear-marked for captaincy very early in his career. He debuted in the record breaking Test in Colombo where Sri Lanka pilled on 952/6 runs as Sanatha Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama made 340 and 225 respectively and combined to form the highest partnership in the history of Test cricket. Mahela made an attractive 66 with 10 boundaries and stamped his class and authority early as a stroke-maker in line with Aravinda De Silva.

But apart from all the promise, Mahela struggled to maintain consistency and at times failed to justify his place in the side. There were memorable performances but they were all too far and in between the droughts and lean patches. I recall his double century against India in the Asian Test Championship and more so his partnership with Marvan Attapattu, who he took over the captaincy from in 2006, in the last group game in Sharjah 00', which was made memorable by Muttiah Muralitharan recording 7 for 30. Mahela and Marvan put on 226 after the team was in a spot of bother at 25 for 2. Mahela scored a magnificent 128 off a 123 balls, every shot oozing with class and confidence.

But three years later, he struggled to assert any authority let alone score runs in the 2003 World Cup; accumulating only 15 runs in the whole tournament. Considering Sri Lanka was only eliminated in the Semi-finals is further damning evidence to what a poor, wretched campaign he endured. Many were calling for his head, including myself. It would be interesting to know what he went through back then. It is a struggle that many talented cricketers, sportsman and individuals go through and it is the "comeback" that speaks of their inner character.

He did come back with strong performances at home and continued to score heavily in Test cricket. Marvan Attapattu brought in a unique sense of captaincy to the side, giving each member belief and responsibility but a string of injuries bought his deputy, Mahela, into the frame and some, including myself questioned the decision, after all Kumar Sangakarra had shown as much class and leadership to be the obvious successor. But with the added responsibility of leadership, Mahela began to show his full potential both as a batsmen and a captain.

Under his reign, Sri Lanka became a potent force in Test cricket and had a string of victories in ODIs as well. Sri Lanka drew a famous series in England 1-1, drew a 2-Test encounter against New Zealand 1-1 and won their first victory in the Caribbean and a 1-all share of the series. It was the Caribbean that would witness Mahela's ultimate achievement. In the 2007 World Cup, Sri Lanka played a brand of exciting and enjoyable cricket that won huge praise and support. Their game was aggressive but not brutish, confident but not boisterous. Mahela himself made a mark in the semi-finals against a resurgent New Zealand team where he scored the best hundred, with due credit to Adam Gilchrist, of the tournament. It had the class of the Test century, coupled with the brutal climax. His innings all but punched the stuffing out of the Kiwis. Unfortunately, his team was unable to repeat the 96 heroics of Arjuna Ranatunge after being foiled by a whirlwind performance by Gilchrist, administrators and the weather.

After a highly successful campaign, Sri Lanka and Mahela fell back into a mould of inconsistency. The team's performances at home came under increasing scrutiny, losing 5-match ODI series to England and India with Jayawardene becoming the first captain to surrender 3 consecutive home series. While his luck at the toss was significant, especially against a powerful Indian line-up, it was not enough to excuse to poor performances. With mounting political pressure, Mahela decided to give up the captaincy and regain his prowess as a world-class batsman. With the 2011 World Cup, only two years away he thought it would give ample time for a new leadership to establish and prepare itself and if wisdom prevail that team will be led by his vice and best friend, Kumar Sangakarra.

Mahela and Kumar have become one of Sri Lanka's prolific pairs and share the world record for the highest partnership in all forms of the game; a magnificent 624 against South Africa with whom Mahela had a special relationship. In the process, he scored 374, the highest by a Sri Lankan or sub-continental player and given the illustrious names of Tendulkars, Gavaskars, Miandads etc. it truly was a special performance.

In Sangakarra, Sri Lanka have a born-leader; one like Mahela must have been earmarked to serve his national team. If he is chosen to lead this team to 2011 and beyond, rest assured that Mahela's contribution's to Sri Lanka as a batsmen and senior player will not diminish. So, as we say "Goodbye" to Mahela, we look forward to seeing more of his best in the years to come. Glorious cover drives, delicate cuts, one-handed slip catches and more.