Prolific Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was named the CEAT Men’s Test Bowler of the Year at the CEAT Cricket Awards held in Mumbai on Tuesday (7).
According to the organisers of the event Jayasuriya’s precision, patience, and game-changing spells during the last 12-month period had earned him the prestigious honour.
The 33-year-old slow orthodox bowler, who has been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s Test success over the past year, was feted for his outstanding performances throughout the season.
Since making his debut in July 2022 against Australia, Jayasuriya has featured in 22 Tests, capturing 122 wickets, including 12 five-wicket hauls and two match hauls of ten wickets-a terrific record in a short span.
He made an unforgettable debut at his happy-hunting ground of Galle, taking 12 wickets in his first Test, which remains the third-best bowling performance on debut in Test history.
Jayasuriya also reached 100 Test wickets off just 17 matches, making him the fastest Sri Lankan and the joint second-fastest in the world to achieve the landmark.
He narrowly missed George Alfred Lohmann’s (England 1886) world record by just one Test, but surpassed cricketing greats Ian Botham and Ravichandran Ashwin, etching his name in the record books.