Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is one of the most prolific batsmen of all time. His remarkable consistency, outstanding ability to tackle pace, as well as spin and inspiring leadership made him one of the finest discoveries of the fascinating game.
Jayawardene was a part of the team that lifted the 2014 ICC World T20 trophy. Not only this, he led his side to the World Cup final in 2007 and was a member of the team that made it to the final of World T20 in 2009, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2012 World T20.
Jayawardene was named the best international captain of the year by International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2006. In the very next year, the legendary batter was nominated as the best Test cricket player of the year.
The classy stroke maker bid farewell to international cricket in 2015 but has been active in cricket coaching since then. From 2017 onwards, Jayawardene is the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) – the most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Thursday (May 27), Jayawardene is celebrating his 44th birthday, and he received a unique wish from ICC through their official Twitter handle. ICC shared a video from Sri Lanka versus Afghanistan match of the 2015 World Cup that took place in Australia.
In the video, Jayawardene played a front foot defensive shot, but in the process, he broke his bat into two pieces. Jayawardene was batting on 43 when Afghanistan left-armer Shapoor came round the wicket and bowled a good length ball. The senior Sri Lankan batter defended the ball but ended up breaking his bat.
Here is the video:
Happy birthday to @MahelaJay, who turns 44 today 🥳
Have a 'cracking' day! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/BEtUtHyjes
— ICC (@ICC) May 27, 2021
Jayawardene went on to score a sensational century in the match and helped his side chase down the target of 233 to register a victory. The right-handed batsman smashed 100 from 120 deliveries with the help of eight fours and a six.
