It was his last match in the Asia Cup
The Asia Cup is often considered a tournament designed to nurture young players for the bigger and more significant ICC tournaments. However, that doesn’t mean senior players do not participate in the tourney. Over the years, several senior players have remained with the team, adding valuable experience to the younger players and serving as mentors. And while doing so, some of those senior players even scripted records.
In this article, we take a look at a record that has been intact in the tournament since 2008, i.e., the record of the oldest centurion. Can you guess who that player is? If not, scroll down to know about him.
The year was 2008, and the Asia Cup final was played at Karachi’s National Stadium. India’s then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to field first, and from the get-go, the match slipped out of India’s hands. While Sri Lankan wickets fell at regular intervals, one man stood on the crease, toying with the Indian bowlers.
Sri Lanka was reduced to 4 for 66, and from that point, the team posted a target of 273 in 49.5 overs, thanks to Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 56, Nuwan Kulasekara’s 29, and a 125 by a man who was playing his last Asia Cup.
(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)
At the age of 39 years and six days, Sanath Jayasuriya became the oldest man in the Asia Cup history to score a century. His innings included 114 minutes of batting, during which he hit nine boundaries and five sixes, maintaining a strike rate of 109.64.
This was not Sanath’s only hundred at the age of 39. In ODI across games and tournaments, he is second on the list. In 2009 against India in Dambulla, he scored 107 runs at the age of 39 years and 212 days.
The match never went in India’s favour, as the batting line-up couldn’t do much either. Seven players went back to the pavilion with single-digit scores, whereas Virender Sehwag and Dhoni scored 60 and 49 runs, respectively, to stabilise India’s batting innings. However, the final turned out to be an embarrassment, as the team lost the game by a massive 100 runs.
(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)
While the game was humiliating for India, it was a perfect ending for Sanath Jayasuriya from the Asia Cup.
India’s Master Blaster is the second on the list, hitting the second-oldest centurion in the Asia Cup at the age of 38 years and 327 days. His century was a historic one, given that it was his 100th career century, which he scored against Bangladesh in Mirpur. However, despite reaching the historic milestone, India lost the game, and Sachin’s 100th century was in vain.
(Credit- News18)
In this year’s tournament, several veteran players are part of various squads aiming to break the record. Unfortunately, India won’t have a chance at the record, given that India’s oldest is Suryakumar Yadav, who is around 34 years old.
