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[achutank]

   
   not happening it thought he was one of the better guys in cricket world
   
   
   
February 11, 2009 13:59 IST
Last Updated: February 11, 2009 14:30 IST

Sri Lanka's [Images] Mahela Jayawardene [Images] is stepping down as captain after their tour of Pakistan, the 31-year-old announced on Wednesday.

Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's most successful Test captain, met with national selectors earlier in the day and informed them of his decision to stand down after three years at the helm.

Sri Lanka are preparing for a two-Test series in Pakistan, the first Test beginning on Feb. 21. They play a two-day warmup game against a Patron's XI in Karachi from Tuesday.

"In the best interests of the Sri Lanka team, I have decided to stand down as Sri Lanka captain after this Pakistan tour," Jayawardene said in a statement.

"This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup.

"After much thought, I have concluded that the right time has now come for fresh leadership to takeover."

Jayawardene's departure follows Sri Lanka's 4-1 defeat by India in a recent ODI series.

During the past three months Jayawardene has struggled with the bat in one-day cricket, although he did score a half-century in the recent series to end a 14-match run without a fifty.

However, his batting record as captain has been excellent with a Test average of 64.70, including 11 centuries in 26 Test matches. In one-day cricket his average in 97 games was 34.22 with four hundreds.

Jayawardene's win ratio as Test captain was 63 percent, the highest in Sri Lanka's 27-year Test history, and for ODIs it was 57 percent.

In 2006 the ICC [Images] named Jayawardene Test Captain of the Year and in both 2007 and 2008 Sri Lanka won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award under his leadership.

Kumar Sangakkara, Jayawardene's deputy during the past few years, is tipped to takeover the captaincy from a one-day series against Zimbabwe in March.

Jayawardene pledged his full support to his successor and confirmed his desire to play on in all forms of the game.

"It was not an easy decision to make because being Sri Lanka national captain has been the source of enormous pride and I am very grateful to have been granted the honour of leading the team during the last three years," he added.

"I look forward now to extending my full support to my successor and hope to play a major part in the team's success during coming years as a batsman."



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[gouravk]

excellent decision 

[ganavk]

what's up with nice guys not lasting as captains and resigning ?

[cricinfo]

what's up with nice guys not lasting as captains and resigning ?

nice guys are just nice guys,let them work on their area of expertise, it is difficult for them to be leaders...look at Manmohan, SRT and RD

on a separate note it seems LET planned to kidnap SRT and SG....they realised who are the REAL high value targets

[flute]

what's up with nice guys not lasting as captains and resigning ?

nice guys are just nice guys,let them work on their area of expertise, it is difficult for them to be leaders...look at Manmohan, SRT and RD

on a separate note it seems LET planned to kidnap SRT and SG....they realised who are the REAL high value targets

If it ever happens ( GOD forbid hope it never happens), I wish it be some other player not SG...things will really turn ugly if SG gets kidnapped.

[gouravk]

i think mahela did an EXCELLENT job as captain clearly epitomised by the fact he won the best captain award in 2006.

[ganavk]

what's up with nice guys not lasting as captains and resigning ?

nice guys are just nice guys,let them work on their area of expertise, it is difficult for them to be leaders...look at Manmohan, SRT and RD

Agree..I also really hope that other so called bad guys can stop piggybacking on the nice guys to hold onto their job as captain without actually doing anything.

[dhruvdeepak]

good timing for mahela to drop from captaincy. watch his batting curve go sky high now.

more importantly,

the era of SANGAKKARRA is going to be upon us very soon!!!

It is going to be fascinating to see what sort of captain he turns out to be

[dextrous]

and why are quiet guys assumed to be nice?

[gouravk]

why was mahela assumed to be quiet ? 

[cricinfo]

why was mahela assumed to be quiet ? 

He looks like Rahul Dravid

[gouravk]

what a frivolous answer ! 

[poondu]

why was mahela assumed to be quiet ? 

He looks like Rahul Dravid

He is also playing like RD these days

[Cover Point]

and why are quiet guys assumed to be nice?

why are vocal guys who call a spade a spade and a gangulian and gangulian considered bad?

[rsharma]

I like Mahela but noticed he was rarely good in praise for victorious team when SL lost. He always preferred dwelling on what went wrong for SL. I feel most other Sri Lankans have been much more graceful. Look at what Muralitharan said after losing 1-4. Even Ranatunga use to give the winner their dues more honestly. ..... Perhaps it is good for a captain to always focus inwards on losing.

[k-slice]

i hope sangakarra becomes the captain. for some reason i think sanga would be a great ambassador for srilankan cricket. not the jaya was not. just that sanga seems he would do a better job. i dont think there is anybody else in line right now.

[gouravk]

yeah. i just hope they dont give it to that annoying dilshan 

[kban1]

Ahead of the curve

Jayawardene has been Sri Lanka's finest captain, and his decision to quit when he did has been in keeping with the rest of his leadership

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

February 12, 2009
 
The world is full of surprises, and Mahela Jayawardene's decision to quit the Sri Lanka captaincy at a time when he was among the best in the business in world cricket will take some time to digest. However, anyone who knows Sri Lanka cricket's politics and the complexities that go with it will not be surprised by his decision. It is an honour to lead one's country, one that every cricketer seeks but only a few succeed in getting, but along with the pride of being the country's captain come various external pressures that can make the job uncomfortable and emotionally draining, no matter how successful you may be.

Jayawardene has been at the helm for three years and he knew it was time for him to call stumps. He has been through the rough and the smooth, and has fended off his critics with the straightest of bats - standing tall, not cowed one bit, continuing to do the things he thought were right. As he says in an advertising slogan, "I am what I am". He could have remained in charge; indeed the selectors tried to persuade him to change his mind, but he passionately believed that he had to hand over with at least 18 months to go to the World Cup.

For all the right reasons it has possibly been a good time for him to resign, when no one would have thought he needed to. Although it comes soon after a 4-1 beating by India at home, the third successive bilateral series loss under his leadership, the result certainly had nothing to do with his decision.

Captaining an Asian team is no easy task. The interference and political pressure drain one's reserves and can take their toll on a captain's career. After three years Jayawardene was probably exhausted by the off-field issues.

He has had to steer the team through controversial waters. On the field he had to oversee the rebuilding of the team for 2011, a task that left him on a collision course with some senior players. Off the field he had to fight for fairer contracts for junior players, which led to friction with the administrators. Then came the biggest controversy, when Arjuna Ranatunga, then the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, agreed to a last-minute tour to England in the middle of the second season of the IPL. Jayawardene was just one player in the controversy, which became a huge political issue, but he was the one who was targeted and ruthlessly attacked by partisan sections of the media for weeks on end.

Jayawardene's detractors conveniently ignored his brilliant Test record as captain (15 wins in 26 matches), and indeed his performance as batsman while captaining (an average of 64.70 with 11 centuries in just three years). Instead they chased after him for his performances as one-day captain. While Jayawardene admits the team's performance has been inconsistent, his overall record in ODIs has been decent, with a 56% win ratio and a batting average of 34.22 as captain, higher than before the captaincy. Wins in the Asia Cup and during the recent Pakistan tour provided only temporary respite from the media attacks.

Strangely, under Jayawardene Sri Lanka played brilliantly in the longer version of the game, securing victories overseas in England, New Zealand and West Indies to break the myth that his team cannot win overseas. As captain, Jayawardene was a revelation for Sri Lanka cricket, which at the time he took over was desperately short of fresh ideas. With coach Tom Moody, Jayawardene's captaincy blossomed to the extent that he brought more to the table than any other captain had, to make Sri Lanka a unit to be much feared in both forms of the game.

Arjuna Ranatunga is remembered for winning the World Cup for his country, but in terms of shrewdness and flair Jayawardene is streets ahead. Being picked as Captain of the Year in the ICC Awards in 2006 bears testimony to that fact.

Unlike most other cricketers for whom the game is a lifeline to cling on to, Jayawardene is one who believes that there is life after cricket. He has always enjoyed what he has done, whether as captain or as a member of the team. When you suddenly lose the hunger to captain, that's when you want to quit and let someone fresh take over. Jayawardene just may have felt that way. It shows his concern for the team that, rather than being selfish and hanging on, he has been honest and open-minded, as indeed he has been all through his tenure as captain. Jayawardene has taken the Sri Lankan captaincy to a higher plane; his successor may have a hard time keeping up.

 http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/390433.html

[flute]

great move by Jayawardene. I wish SG too took this step after that 2004 debacle against Pak instead of getting involved in all the controversies. In hindsight, that would have been a much cleaner and smooth transition and also would have helped his career tremendously.

[kban1]

great move by Jayawardene. I wish SG too took this step after that 2004 debacle against Pak instead of getting involved in all the controversies. In hindsight, that would have been a much cleaner and smooth transition and also would have helped his career tremendously.

What debacle ?

We drew the series 1-1, didnt lose it 0-3. We underperformed, but surely that is not the same as a debacle.

As far as getting involved in controversies, lets not make it as if he did it of his own accord.

However, I am with you that given his batting form, this would have been the time to resign from captaincy and concentrate on batting.

[gouravk]

you mean 2005 pakistan series, not 2004. i have always been one step ahead and maintained he should have resigned not after the so called "debacle" of 2005 but after the "glory" of 2004.

[flute]

great move by Jayawardene. I wish SG too took this step after that 2004 debacle against Pak instead of getting involved in all the controversies. In hindsight, that would have been a much cleaner and smooth transition and also would have helped his career tremendously.

What debacle ?

We drew the series 1-1, didnt lose it 0-3. We underperformed, but surely that is not the same as a debacle.

As far as getting involved in controversies, lets not make it as if he did it of his own accord.

However, I am with you that given his batting form, this would have been the time to resign from captaincy and concentrate on batting.

I meant 2005 pak tour of India and after his wretched form in that series, the sane option would have been to immediately resign ( afterall he did everything he could as captain by that time anyway) along with JW and let a fresh team take over.

Of course, I am with you regarding controversies. In hindsight, most of them were because of over jealous, passionate fans and media and GC. The one trick he missed was in not resigning gracefully from captaincy. Jayawardene really set a great example in this regard for other asian captains to emulate.

[kban1]

great move by Jayawardene. I wish SG too took this step after that 2004 debacle against Pak instead of getting involved in all the controversies. In hindsight, that would have been a much cleaner and smooth transition and also would have helped his career tremendously.

What debacle ?

We drew the series 1-1, didnt lose it 0-3. We underperformed, but surely that is not the same as a debacle.

As far as getting involved in controversies, lets not make it as if he did it of his own accord.

However, I am with you that given his batting form, this would have been the time to resign from captaincy and concentrate on batting.

I meant 2005 pak tour of India and after his wretched form in that series, the sane option would have been to immediately resign ( afterall he did everything he could as captain by that time anyway) along with JW and let a fresh team take over.

Of course, I am with you regarding controversies. In hindsight, most of them were because of over jealous, passionate fans and media and GC. The one trick he missed was in not resigning gracefully from captaincy. Jayawardene really set a great example in this regard for other asian captains to emulate.

yes, I meant the 2005 home series as well.

I didnt see the series results as a debacle.

His batting form was indeed a debacle, and thats why he should have resigned at that time - agree there.

[kban1]

Poor form a factor in quitting - Jayawardene

Cricinfo staff

February 12, 2009

Mahela Jayawardene has said his poor form in recent one-day matches was a factor in his decision to resign as captain of Sri Lanka.

"I was not making runs according to the standards I had set myself," Jayawardene said in Colombo, a day after he announced his resignation. "I have been thinking about it for a while and it was the right decision made at the right time."

Jayawardene, 31, has made just one half-century in his last 17 ODI innings. His resignation came three days after Sri Lanka lost 4-1 to India in their home ODI series, and he said it was so that his successor could build a team for the 2011 World Cup. "This is the ideal time to leave my successor to make his own imprint," Jayawardene said. "He needs time to settle down. Put his imprint on the team and have his vision. What he wants for the 2011 World Cup. To do that he needs adequate time."

His decision to resign was not taken under any pressure, he said, it was completely his own. "It had nothing to do with the selectors. Actually they were quite baffled when I called for a meeting. They actually wanted me to stay on. But I said I had made up my mind and I hope they will respect that," he said.

He said the selectors had even suggested different captains for the two versions of the game. "They tried to persuade me to split the captaincy and continue leading in Tests and all that. But I felt as a captain it was easier to have both the captaincies because it gives you the extra bit of time to control things.

"And I believe the next captain should have the same thing. It is much easier to hold on to everything. It is tough for two different captains to do two different things because there will be certain players coming in and going," Jayawardene said.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/390523.html