Happy Birthday Sanath Jayasuriya: Top moments from his iconic career

Capable of grabbing the entire opposition by the tail

#4. 253 v Pakistan, Faisalabad, 2004

Jayasuriya's 253 in the second innings of the first Test match against Pakistan of the 2004 series, set up a 201-run win for the visitors. It was a seminal knock that made amends for Sri Lanka's first-innings collapse and gave them complete command of the game on the third day.

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka elected to bat first, but no one except Thilan Samaraweera who scored a hundred, justified captain Atapattu's decision as the Islanders were bundled out for a mere 243. Jayasuriya scored 38. Pakistan in reply started well but faltered towards the end, still ending with an innings lead of 21 runs. Sri Lanka needed to score big and fast, considering that only three days' were left, and with bowling becoming harder towards the end. And all of the responsibility suddenly fell on Jayasuriya.

He grafted his way and strung together crucial stands along the way as Sri Lanka took a 417-run lead in return, scoring 438. Contrary to usual, this wasn't a swashbuckling innings from the opener. After being out to a Shoaib Akhtar no-ball on 9, Jayasuriya survived a few jittery edges and slashes to buckle down.

He slowly steadied the balance back with some peachy off-drives and light pushes, and by the end of the fourth day he reached his third double-hundred. He almost single-handedly helped Sri Lanka finish, scoring 253 out of the 438, all by himself. In return, Pakistan could muster just 201, as Sri Lanka scripted a memorable win by 216 runs.