Jayawardene the gem of Sri Lanka

England knew Mahela was magical. Now the public can see it. Stephen Brenkley reports

Everything anybody needed to know about Mahela Jayawardene's aptitude for the big-time was revealed on a seething night in Adelaide. Hell had broken loose on 23 January, 1999, in the one-dayer between Sri Lanka and England.

Muttiah Muralitharan had been no-balled for throwing, Sri Lanka's captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, had held up play for 14 minutes. The match continued in the meanest of spirits, and if players were not at each other's throats it was only because they were too busy pushing each other and feigning head-butts.

England made a formidable 302, a target no side had successfully chased in one-day matches in Australia. Sri Lanka fell to 68 for 3 in pursuit. The 21-year-old Jayawardene, 10 matches and only one half-century into his limited-overs career, entered the cauldron.

It was a hot day and there was a poisonous atmosphere in the middle. Jayawardene played a spellbinding innings of 120 from 111 balls in which his timing and placement were impeccable. Sri Lanka won by a wicket with two balls left.

His deeds were engulfed by the recriminations which followed but his batting that night was the mark of the man. If his one-day performances since have not quite matched that, he has become the fourth-ranked Test player in the world in the PwC Ratings and nobody now would deny that he has what it takes to overtake Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Last week in his first Test match at Lord's, Jayawardene offered England further evidence of his potential for greatness and the English public their first opportunity to witness what a batsman he is. His wonderful 107 was his ninth Test century but his first outside Sri Lanka.

If that fact seems to bespeak a player who has trouble adapting to pitches away from the sub-continent it is an illusion. As he will soon prove conclusively he is a player who can bat anywhere, anytime. His steady disposition at the crease is matched by a wonderfully sound defensive method and wonderfully crisp array of attacking shots in which his wrists are pre-eminent.

"He adjusted to our conditions almost straight away," said Graham Ford, the coach of South Africa, where the World Cup will take place next year. "He seems to be one of those guys who, like all great players, do what needs to be done and coped with our pace and bounce." While Jayawardene's average in South Africa early last year was only 31 (compared to a figure at home of 61), Ford insisted that it was misleading. Sri Lanka were playing poorly and the itinerary was unevenly split between Tests and one-dayers.

"He has a very sound technique, again like all the greats and builds on that. I think England tried to take advantage of his weakness with the hook. He isn't willing to let too much short go because he backs himself, so it might work if he has a slight weakness. But you have to bowl precisely otherwise you're in big trouble. He is in the category of player who you want to get out but who you'll remember for a long, long time after he's batted. I expect him and Sri Lanka to be big threats in the World Cup."

As Lord's witnessed, Jayawardene cuts and pulls enthusiastically but he can play plumb straight. It is the elegance of his placement, waiting until the late show is about to start before selecting his shot, that sets him apart. Barry Richards, Sri Lanka's batting coach, observed before the First Test that he is technically well equipped to deal with most things. "He's been very successful in a short time and I think his technique will be well-suited to England."

Jayawardene, 25 tomorrow, is a Colombo boy, a product of Nalanda College who was picked for Sri Lanka's Test team in 1997. Nobody in history has gone out to bat in such a secure position. Sri Lanka were 790 for 4 and he made 66.

It was the 120 amid the passions of Adelaide 17 months later which more or less cemented his place. After the World Cup in England in the summer of 1999, his country were hell-bent on a youth policy and promoted him to vice-captain. It was the right move at the wrong time. He could hardly score a one-day run and kept getting out in Tests. In 12 matches his average was 30, his top score was 91. Jayawardene relinquished the post and his form has flourished.

Until England's belated revival at Lord's the tourists were on a straight and firm course for their 10th successive Test win. In that run of nine victories he had scored 778 runs at an average of 77. This is weighty stuff in itself but all of them, the lot, were sculpted with panache.

Despite his discomfort as vice-captain, it is accepted that when Sanath Jayasuriya is ready to call it a day as captain after the World Cup, Mahela may well be the man to replace him. He has a studiousness not apparent in all his colleagues.

"His world ranking is deserved, as is Kumar Sangakkara's place in the top 10 but they both still have a lot to learn," said Sri Lanka's coach, Dav Whatmore. "They realise they have a long way to go. What gives them both a chance is that they're strong. Mahela will swim rather than sink but it might take him a little time to tread the water."

When Whatmore, never a man for overstatement, delivers such judgements, it is time to listen. But England should have known all that one stormy, steamy night in Adelaide three years ago.