Sanath Jayasuriya - opener, pinch-hitter, pirate

This might be a fairly redundant statement, but isn't Benevolent Uncle Sanath great?

He'll be 38 soon and we're guessing he'll retire after the World Cup. It's sad, but at least he seems to be raising his game for this final hurrah. Yesterday he hit 115 off 101 balls against the Windies.

Despite all the predictions, rapid hundreds haven't exactly been ten-a-penny. Sanath Jayasuriya however, was one player you'd expect one from. At least one.

In our head, when he plays that magnificent, aerial swat off the back foot outside off-stump, he shouts 'ha-haaa'. He does this every time he plays the shot - which is often.

Maybe it's how frequently he's been described as 'swashbuckling' that's given us this idea. It's almost pirate-like this exclamation. The campaign for more pirates in cricket starts here.