Player of the Month

August 1997: Sanath Jayasuriya

Who was the people's choice winner? Highlights of Jayasuriya's August: 340 v India, First Test, August 2-6 World record Test partnership of 576 with Mahanama Scorecard | Match report 199 v India, Second Test, August 9-13 Scorecard | Match report. First player to score more than 1000 runs in Tests in the 1997 calendar year. 73 runs in 52 balls, first ODI v India, August 17 Scorecard | Match report 66 runs in 56 balls, second ODI v India, August 20 Scorecard | Match report 68 runs in 38 balls, third (abandoned) ODI v India, August 23 Scorecard | Match report Related items on CricInfo: CricInfo's player profile of Sanath Jayasuriya Related Player of the Month pages: Who missed out? The good, the bad and the ugly of August. Jayasuriya Player of the Month May 1997 The selection process for Players of the Month Previous Players of the Month

August 1997 saw some spectacular scores in matches played in Sri Lanka. Our winner for this month achieved heights unprecented in Sri Lankan Test history. Although having made his reputation of late as a devastating one-day opening batsman, he proved himself as a Test opener of the highest order by achieving the first triple-century in Sri Lankan history, 340 in the First Test against India, batting for more than two days and sharing a world-record Test partnership. Much controversy has followed about the importance of that innings considering the condition of the pitch and the strength of the opposing bowling attack, but history shows that many of the better known triple-centuries of the past were made in similar circumstances, and at the years to come there will be only one thing that matters. He followed that up the next week with another big century in the Second Test, becoming the second player in the world in less than a month to score a Test 199. And if that wasn't enough he switched back to the one-day game in style to be player of the series in his country's limited-over clean sweep over India. After one year we present our first-ever two-time googler's Player of the Month: Sanath Jayasuriya.

Photograph of Sanath Jayasuriya is copyright 1997 Midweek Mirror (Sri Lanka), and must not be reproduced without permission.

The voters' choice for Player of the Month. Sanath Jayasuriya 50% (354 votes) Mohammad Azharuddin 27% (189 votes) Glenn McGrath 10% (73 votes) Aravinda De Silva 8% (57 votes) Phil Tufnell 2% (16 votes) Charlotte Edwards 1% (8 votes) Nominations were chosen by the Editor of CricInfo Interactive, and the poll was conducted from 1 to 6 September, 1997. Registered users of CricInfo were eligible to vote.

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