This is the first biography of the controversial cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya. Very rarely in history does one man shape the sporting fortunes of a nation. Sanath Jayasuriya did just that with the magic of his power packed hands. The manner in which Jayasuriya tamed any ball that came his way was, and remains, an art few batsmen possess. For a nation yearning to break into the big league, it required just the unorthodoxy of Sanath to shoot into the limelight. When lights shone brightly over Sri Lanka at Lahore Gaddafi Stadium in the 1996 Cricket World Cup, it was due to the brilliance of this young man from Matara. But while success proved easier as a foot soldier, the rise in the ranks was not always that profitable.