Georgetown, Guyana: Sanath Jayasuriya walked out of the dressing room unaffected by the fact that his blistering 115 had demolished the West Indian attack completely. He also picked two wickets to hasten West Indies' end and win the Man-of-the-Match award. This victory was a big one for him.
QUESTION: How was it to bat under cloudy and wet conditions?
JAYASUIRYA: The wicket was not suitable for batting at all. But I tried my best to stay on.
There must have some sort of a pressure when you lost two early wickets?
I goaded myself to staying on till things settled down. After the first 15 overs, I began to open up. Though I was hitting hard, it had to be done with caution. To win the match, we needed a decent total.
This must be one of your best knocks?
Yes. I will consider it as one of my best knocks since the conditions were not too good. Neither the weather nor the pitch favoured strokeplay. I had to slowly build the innings.
When did you realise it was going to be your day?
After the 15th over, I started getting my shots. By the 18th over I got my eye in and I knew I can play my shots. I am happy that the shots cleared the ground.
Surely you would have regretted had you retired from cricket ...
[Smiles]. All that I have done is to get runs for my team and I've always enjoyed doing it.
Now that you have got your 25th one-day hundred what are your plans?
The number of centuries does not matter to me. What delights me most is my contribution to the team's success. I intend to give my best and will work hard towards it.
