Senior Journalist Rex Clementine had shared the following note about Sanath Jayasuriya missing the famous Brian Lara record exactly 24 years ago.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama scored 340 and 225 respectively and batted throughout the 3rd and 4th day. Sanath got out 35 runs short of Brian Lara’s 375 runs then record.
‘I had become the first Sri Lankan to score a triple hundred. When we finished on day four, I needed exactly 50 runs to break the record. There were lot of wishes. We were staying at Taj Samudra. Every hotel employee wished me luck. Everyone from the SLC were at Taj that night. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe visited me and wished me well. President Chandrika called and said you can do it.
Lot of credit to Alex Konouri for looking after us. We had fielded for two days and then to bat for two full days not easy. On day five as I went in for breakfast, even some Indian reporters wished me. As we came to ground, I saw the crowd and couldn’t believe it. The whole nation was behind me. In the end it wasn’t to be but after all these years it brings some happy memories. What a team that was.’ Sanath Jayasuriya said according to senior sports journalist Rex Clementine.