Jayasuriya makes impressive strides in ICC Rankings  

Time was when Sri Lanka had world’s top ranked batsman and bowler in Test match cricket. While Muttiah Muralitharan dominated the bowling charts for years, Kumar Sangakkara reigned as world’s top batter rubbing shoulders with contemporaries like Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis.

It seems that soon Sri Lanka will have at least a bowler dominating the charts with left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya making impressive strides in his brief Test career.  Jayasuriya, a late bloomer having made his Test debut last year past his 30th birthday is currently ranked 19th, having leaped 13 slots following his match bag of ten wickets having guided Sri Lanka to an innings and 280 run win over Ireland in Galle this week.

Jayasuriya has featured in only six Tests so far and already has 43 victims to his name including five five wicket hauls. He is in line to become the fastest Sri Lankan to reach 50 Test wickets. The record is currently held by off-spinners Dilruwan Perera and Ramesh Mendis, who both reached the milestone in their 11th Tests. Jayasuriya could own the Sri Lankan record in his seventh Test itself, narrowly missing the World Record for the landmark.

Almost 140 years ago, Australian quick Charlie Turner achieved the milestone in his sixth Test match. Englishman Tom Richardson and Vernon Philander got there in seven Tests and along with them Jayasuriya is set to become joint second fastest bowler to the record.

Jayasuriya was ranked 32nd prior to the Ireland Test but made rapid strides as he claimed career best seven for 52 in the first innings and followed it up with three scalps in the second essay.

Apart from Muttiah Muralitharan, the only other Sri Lankan to be ranked top bowler in the world was Rangana Herath. Another rich haul in the second Test could see Jayasuriya finishing among the top ten bowlers. Sanga was the only Sri Lankan batter to be ranked number one.

Jayasuriya has earned plaudits of his captain Dimuth Karunaratne for the progress he has made in Test cricket in such a short span.  Karunaratne who smashed 179 advanced to the ninth spot in the rankings making him the only Sri Lankan in top ten.  Dinesh Chandimal, who posted a hundred, is currently ranked 14th while Kusal Mendis is in 42nd position.  The second Test between the teams begins next week in Galle.