Sri Lanka's veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya turns 40 on Tuesday, with a vow to carry on until the 2011 World Cup despite his being the oldest cricketer still playing at the top level. "Age is not a problem, it is how you stay mentally and physically fit to remain on top of the game, to try out new variations in the bat and ball," Jayasuriya told AFP.
The dashing batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, made his international debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1989 and won praise as an all-rounder during Sri Lanka's victorious World Cup campaign in 1996. Jayasuriya is only the second batsman after India's Sachin Tendulkar to pass 13,000 runs in one-day internationals. He is also the oldest batsman to score a one-day century, at 39 years and 212 days.
"I don't really worry about records anymore these days," the left-hander said. "I focus on putting runs on the board, to help the team win matches." Jayasuriya retired from Test matches in 2007, but continues to shine in the physically challenging shorter version of the game, determined to prove he has a few more miles left on the clock.
The short but powerfully-built batsman is virtually unstoppable when on song, and scored freely during the recent World Twenty20 in England where Sri Lanka won six successive matches before losing to Pakistan in the final. Jayasuriya said the emergence of talented young players meant he could never take his place for granted in the national team. "Playing with youngsters is extra hard these days," said the all-rounder who led Sri Lanka from 1999 to April 2003.