Rohan Jayasekera (cricketer)

Rohan Jayasekera
Personal information
Full name	Rohan Stanley Amarasiriwardene Jayasekera
Born	7 December 1957 (age 66); Colombo, Sri Lanka
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
Relations	SDA Jayasekera (brother)
International information
National side	Sri Lanka;
Career statistics
	Source: CricketArchive, 31 January 2009

Rohan Stanley Amarasiriwardene Jayasekera (born 7 December 1957, Colombo) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented Sri Lanka in one Test match and two ODIs, and also represented Canada in four ICC Trophy matches.

He made his first class debut in 1978–1979 when he batted at three and kept wicket for a Sri Lanka Board XI who lost by 113 runs to the West Indies. He was picked for the Sri Lankan tour of England in the summer of 1979. This tour did not include any Test or ODI matches, as Sri Lanka did not have such status at the time. However, it did include the 1979 ICC Trophy, where Jayasekera played one match against Netherlands. Jayasekera only scored five runs in the 45-run victory. He did make two half-centuries on tour, however, scoring 79 not out in a drawn match against a Worcestershire side including internationals Vanburn Holder and Younis Ahmed, and a second-innings 55 against Glamorgan.

Following the tour of England, Jayasekera did not play at senior level for Sri Lanka again until 1981–1982, when a second-innings 52 for a Board XI against England saw him receive a call-up as wicket-keeper to the national side for Sri Lanka's first international, against England. Batting at three, Jayasekara ground out 17 runs from 42 deliveries, as his team chased 212 to win in 45 overs (or 270 deliveries). His slow scoring left it to the lower order to accumulate runs, and they nearly managed, but Sri Lanka still lost by five runs.

Jayasekera was dropped in favour of Mahes Goonatilleke for the next ODI, but was taken – along with Goonatilleke – for the tour of Pakistan in 1981–1982. He played the first ODI, as wicket-keeper, and despite not batting in that ODI he was given a chance batting at No. 3 in the third and final Test match of the tour. However, he was bowled by Imran Khan for a three-ball 0 in his first innings, and despite being shuffled down to No. 6 in the second innings he was once again bowled by Imran, this time for 2.

This was Jayasekera's last representative match for Sri Lanka. He moved to Canada later on, representing them in four matches at the 1986 ICC Trophy, and recorded ducks against United States and the Netherlands. He did, however, smack 41 not out against Fiji in Canada's thumping 247-run victory, their last match of the tournament. He also kept wicket against Fiji. His younger brother Shantha Jayasekera represented Canada in the 1994 ICC Trophy.

References