This is the second last Stats Comparison article in the series of batters and we have 2 batters from West Indies and Sri Lanka who were the best of their teams in the Golden generation of cricket. We are talking about Brian Lara vs Mahela Jayawardene in this article and I have been a fan of both. One is an attacking left handed batter and the other is a great right handed batter. The Indian fans know all too well about how dangerous these 2 can be.
Before I write about the stats Comparison of these 2 icons , I want to say yet again how grateful I am for the opportunity to write about people that I admire so much and hopefully this article can show how great these 2 batters were when they played. So, let’s get to the stats Comparison of Brian Lara vs Mahela Jayawardene
Brian Lara
What do I say about this man that has not been said before, this man was the reason that so many young people started watching cricket and all of them wanted to be like him and as cool as him when they battled. Brian Lara was truly one of the best of all time and the fans who were not so lucky to watch him play live have missed out on true greatness.
Test Cricket
Brian Lara held all the records in test cricket before Sachin Tendulkar broke then all. Brian Lara played 131 Test Matches in his glorious career and he scored a massive 11953 runs in his career. He got all those runs at an average of 52.88. He also made 34 Test hundreds in his career and he scored double Hundreds for fun and he has a highest score that will most probably never be beaten at 400*.
Also Read | Brian Lara vs Muttiah Muralitharan Rivalry: head-to-head stats
ODI Cricket
Brian Lara was as destructive in ODI Cricket as he was in test cricket and West Indies were lucky to have him as he won so many matches for them in his own which they should have lost. He played 299 ODIs which is just 1 short of 300 . He has a total of 10405 runs in ODI Cricket and at an average of 40.48. He also made 19 hundreds in ODI Cricket which takes the total number of hundreds in international cricket to 53 Hundreds.
Also Read | Sachin Tendulkar vs Brian Lara – Who was the better batsman?
Format | Test Cricket | ODIs |
Matches | 131 | 299 |
Runs scored | 11953 | 10405 |
Batting average | 52.88 | 40.48 |
100s/50s | 34/48 | 19/63 |
Top score | 400* | 169 |
Also Read | Rahul Dravid vs Brian Lara – Stats Comparison as Batter
Mahela Jayawardene
Now it is time to talk about Mahela Jayawardene for the final time in this Series of articles and I just have to say that if he was not there in that Sri Lankan team then the nation would not have tasted all the successes they have in their cricket. Mahela Jayawardene was not only the best batter in the team along with Kumar Sangakkara but he was also a leader. He has made more than 10,000 runs in both formats.
Test Cricket
Mahela Jayawardene was a stalwart in test cricket and he played so much for Sri Lanka. He played 149 Test Matches for Sri Lanka and he has scored a total of 11814 runs for Sri Lanka in test cricket. He has scored these runs at an average of 49.84. He has also scored 34 Test hundreds in his career and he has a highest test score of 374 which is just 26 short of the highest score of Brian Lara.
Check here Top 5 Best Mahela Jayawardene Innings
ODI Cricket
Mahela Jayawardene was an all time great in ODI Cricket and he played so many matches in his career. He played a total of 448 ODIs for Sri Lanka which is the second most in history and he has made a total of 12650 runs in ODI Cricket. Mahela Jayawardene has made 19 hundreds in ODI Cricket which takes his 100s tally in international cricket to 53 Hundreds.
Format | Test Cricket | ODIs |
Matches | 149 | 448 |
Runs scored | 11814 | 12650 |
Batting average | 49.84 | 33.37 |
100s/50a | 34/50 | 19/77 |
Top score | 374 | 144 |
Stats Comparison
Now it is the time for Stats Comparison and in test cricket Brian Lara has an edge because not only has he played 18 Test Matches less and got 150 more runs in test cricket but at a much better average. So, Brian Lara is better in test cricket. As far as ODIs are concerned Mahela Jayawardene has an edge as he has made 2000 more runs and he has played more than Lara.
Also Read: Mahela Jayawardene vs Rahul Dravid – Stats Comparison as Batter
