Mahela Jayawardene receives honorary lifetime membership of MCC

Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene has been awarded honorary lifetime membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in recognition of his “stellar career”. Jayawardene’s invitation recognises a sublime career in which he played 149 Test matches and scored 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84,” the MCC said in a statement.

The batting legend who retired this year becomes the 14th Sri Lankan to be awarded MCC Honorary Life Membership, joining former teammates Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and fast bowler Chaminda Vaas on the list.

On being honored by the MCC, the stylish right-hander said: “It is an honour to be awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC. It is a great club and I’m privileged to now be a part of it. I’ve always enjoyed playing at Lord’s, and the MCC Members have always given me a great reception, so to be given this accolade is extra special. The Club does brilliant work both in the UK and overseas and I’m delighted to now be a part of it.”

Honorary Life Membership is awarded by the MCC Committee to individuals in recognition of the service they have given to the game of cricket and projects surrounding the game, often over a very long period. There are now more than 300 Honorary Life Members of MCC out of a total Full Membership of 18,000.

Mahela played his final game at the Lord’s in 2014 against England, which ended in a draw. The Colombo-born batsman is currently working as a batting consultant with England cricket team and has had a role in their resurgence in limited overs cricket.