Mahela Jayawardene, one of Sri Lanka’s most stylish batsmen ever, retired from Test cricket after about 17 years. His ability to playing long innings and get involved in long partnerships over the years has always been a statistician’s delight. As he retires, Bharath Seervi presents a statistical report on Jayawardene’s Test career.
Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene — the pillar of Sri Lanka’s batting order in the 21st century — bid adieu to his Test career at the age of 37 years and 83 days. He has been a great ambassador in the cricketing world for close to two decades.
Jayawardene made his test debut on August 2, 1997, against India at Colombo (RPS). He scored 66 runs in the only inning of a match that involved quite a few world records; those of highest team total, highest partnership, and more. He scored three fifties in his first five innings, and a brilliant 167 in his fourth Test match, against New Zealand at Galle in 1998. He then scored 242 against India the following year.
Jayawardene ended his Test career with 149 caps, having scored 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84 with 34 centuries, 50 half-centuries, and a career-best score of 374. Talking of his ability to play long innings, he scored seven double-centuries (including the above-mentioned triple century). Out of his 34 tons, 16 were scores over 150. He remained unbeaten in the “nervous nineties” six times, and once in the 190s.
Jayawardene’s career split in four periods:
From his debut in 1997 to the end of 2000, Jayawardene played 40 innings, aggregating a decent 1673 runs at average of 44.02 with four hundreds and eight fifties. He made three scores in excess of 150 (scores of 167, 167, and 242). In the next period of five years — from 2001 to 2005 — he played 49 Tests and scored 3633 runs at an average of 49.76 with 9 centuries and 19 half-centuries, with best of 237.
The next five-year block was his golden time; it yielded him 4221 runs in just 70 innings and 42 matches at a huge average of 63.95. He scored 15 centuries — eight of which were over 150, and four of which were over 200 — and 11 half-centuries. His record-breaking innings of 374 against South Africa also came in that period. He averaged at least 50 in each of those years.
However, he did not have a very productive time in the last four years of his career, as he averaged just 38.11 with only six hundreds. In the year 2014, he scored a 1003 runs in 18 innings at average of 59.00 with three centuries.
Period
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Best
1997-2000
25
40
1673
44.02
4
8
3
1
1
242
2001-2005
49
80
3633
49.76
9
19
2
1
4
237
2006-2010
42
70
4221
63.95
15
11
8
4
6
374
2010-2014
33
62
2287
38.11
6
12
3
1
4
203*
Overall
149
252
11814
49.84
34
50
16
7
15
374
Highest average by batsmen in Tests from 2006 to 2010 (Min. of 2000 runs)
Jayawardene’s average of 63.95 was the second highest average by any batsman in Test cricket between 2006 and 2010 with a minimum of 2000 runs.
Average
Batsman
Innings
Runs
100s
50s
Best
71.32
Kumar Sangakkara
69
4422
16
16
287
63.95
Mahela Jayawardene
70
4221
15
11
374
61.90
Thilan Samaraweera
50
2538
7
15
231
60.80
Younis Khan
47
2554
8
10
313
59.51
Mohammad Yousuf
53
2916
10
10
202
Year by Year statistics
Let us consider Jayawardene’s aggregates year by year. He aggregated over 1000 runs in a year three times in his career — 1194 runs in 2009, 1053 in 2001, and 1003 in 2014. The year in which he averaged the highest was in 2007, a whopping 98.20. From 2006 to 2010 he averaged over 50 in every year. He scored five centuries in the year 2007, four in 2001 and three each in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2014. The year 2006 was somewhat different. In that year he scored 983 runs, averaging 51.73 which included his career-best 374, but also four ducks. The only other year in which he bagged more than one duck was in 2012, when he made two ducks.
An interesting thing to note is that he has scored at least one century a year for 15 years in a row from 1998 to 2012. Only two other players have such a long sequence: Jacques Kallis for 17 years (1997 to 2013) and Rahul Dravid, also 15 years (1997 to 2011).
The table below lists Jayawardene’s numbers year by year.
Year
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
Ducks
Highest
1997
2
3
89
29.66
0
1
0
66
1998
4
6
309
51.50
1
2
0
167
1999
9
13
535
44.58
1
2
1
242
2000
10
18
740
43.52
2
3
0
167
2001
13
19
1053
55.42
4
4
1
150
2002
9
16
625
48.07
1
4
1
107
2003
7
11
526
58.44
1
3
0
134
2004
11
20
861
45.31
2
3
1
237
2005
9
14
568
43.69
1
5
1
141
2006
11
20
983
51.73
3
2
4
374
2007
8
11
982
98.20
5
1
1
213*
2008
6
11
655
65.50
3
2
0
166
2009
11
20
1194
62.84
3
3
1
275
2010
6
8
407
50.87
1
3
0
174
2011
11
21
517
24.61
1
2
0
105
2012
10
19
630
35.00
2
3
2
180
2013
2
4
137
34.25
0
2
1
72
2014
10
18
1003
59.00
3
5
1
203*
Split up in 25 matches:
Jayawardene averaged at least 40 in each of the 25 Test match intervals in his career. He also scored at least four hundreds in each of those intervals, including a double century — except in the matches between 26 and 50. His best period in this was between match numbers 76 and 100. In the 42 innings in those matches, he averaged 65, yielding 2600 runs with 11 tons. Some of his scores in that period were 374, 213 notout, 195, 166 and 165.
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
Ducks
Highest
1 to 25
40
1673
44.02
4
8
1
242
26 to 50
39
1828
52.22
5
9
2
150
51 to 75
43
1858
47.64
4
10
2
237
76 to 100
42
2600
65.00
11
5
5
374
101 to 125
43
1995
47.50
5
8
1
275
126 to 149
45
1860
43.25
5
10
4
203*
By opposition:
Jayawardene accumulated 1000 runs against six of the nine opposition Test teams, with the exceptions of Australia, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. The team against which Jayawardene aggregated the most runs is England — 2212 runs in 41 innings at 58.21. He also has the most centuries (8) against England followed by six each against India and South Africa. He averages the most against Bangladesh: 76.40. Out of his seven double centuries, two each were scored against India and South Africa, with one each against Bangladesh, England, and Pakistan. He also scored five ducks against Pakistan — the most by him against a team.
Opposition
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
Australia
16
29
969
33.41
2
5
0
0
2
105
Bangladesh
13
17
1146
76.40
5
2
4
1
1
203*
England
23
41
2212
58.21
8
10
3
1
2
213*
India
18
28
1822
67.48
6
8
3
2
1
275
New Zealand
13
22
1028
48.95
3
6
1
0
2
167
Pakistan
29
55
1687
32.44
2
10
1
1
5
240
South Africa
17
32
1782
57.48
6
2
4
2
2
374
West Indies
12
18
748
44.00
1
4
0
0
0
136
Zimbabwe
8
10
420
60.00
1
3
0
0
0
100*
By host country:
Jayawardene traditionally struggled outside the sub-continent. He averages 31.42 in Australia, 35.81 in England, 27.71 in New Zealand, 27.87 in South Africa, 42.00 in the West Indies, and 63.25 in Zimbabwe. In the Asian countries, however, he averages 59.10 in Bangladesh, 62.80 in India, 42.75 in Pakistan, 59.72 at home, and 29.90 in UAE. Though averaging less, he has scored at least one century in every country except South Africa (where he has a highest of 98). The table below includes the other numbers.
Host Country
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
Australia
7
14
440
31.42
1
2
0
0
2
104
Bangladesh
7
12
591
59.10
2
1
2
1
1
203*
England
12
23
788
35.81
2
4
0
0
2
119
India
6
10
628
62.80
1
4
1
0
1
275
New Zealand
4
7
194
27.71
1
0
0
0
2
141
Pakistan
9
17
684
42.75
1
3
1
1
1
240
South Africa
8
16
446
27.87
0
1
0
0
1
98
Sri Lanka
81
129
7167
59.72
23
34
12
5
4
374
UAE
6
11
329
29.90
1
0
0
0
1
129
West Indies
4
7
294
42.00
1
0
0
0
0
136
Zimbabwe
5
6
253
63.25
1
1
0
0
0
100*
Home vs Away:
Venue
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
In Sri Lanka
81
129
7167
59.72
23
34
12
5
4
374
Outside Sri Lanka
68
123
4647
39.71
11
16
4
2
11
275
Asia vs Outside Asia:
Venue
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
In Asia
109
179
9399
56.28
28
42
16
7
8
374
Outside Asia
40
73
2415
34.50
6
8
0
0
7
141
By innings:
Innings
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
Team’s 1st Inning
148
8719
60.13
29
32
15
7
9
374
Team’s 2nd Inning
104
3095
33.64
5
18
1
0
6
166
Inning
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
Match’s 1st Inning
74
3886
53.23
14
12
7
3
6
240
Match’s 2nd Inning
74
4833
67.12
15
20
8
4
3
374
Match’s 3rd Inning
68
1999
30.28
2
13
1
0
5
166
Match’s 4th Inning
36
1096
42.15
3
5
0
0
1
123
By result:
Team’s Result
Matches
Innings
Runs
Average
100s
50s
150+
200+
Ducks
Highest
Won
58
89
5173
64.66
17
19
8
2
5
374
Lost
46
92
2706
29.41
5
15
0
7
105
Drawn
45
71
3935
60.53
12
16
8
5
3
275
Partnership statistics:
Jayawardene was involved in many big partnerships over the course of his Test career. In fact, in his 149 Test match career he was involved in exactly 500 partnerships with 46 different partners. Totally, 24334 runs were scored when Jayawardene was at the crease. He was involved in 76 century partnerships, seven double-century partnerships, four 300-plus partnerships and a couple of partnerships in excess of 400.
Partnerships
Partners
Partnership Runs
50+
100+
150+
200+
250+
300+
400+
500
46
24334
169
76
23
7
5
4
2
Most productive series:
Jayawardene’s most productive series was the one against South Africa in Sri Lanka in 2006. He scored 510 runs in the three innings, which included his career-best 374.
Runs
Opposition
Innings
Average
100s
50s
Highest
Season
Result
510
South Africa
3
170.00
2
0
374
2006
Won
474
England
4
158.00
2
1
213*
2007/08
Won
373
India
5
74.60
1
0
275
2009/10
Lost
354
England
4
88.50
2
1
180
2011/12
Drawn
341
Bangladesh
3
113.66
2
0
165
2007
Won
The series against India was in India, others were in Sri Lanka
(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SeerviBharath and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeerviCricket)
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