Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has been awarded honorary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in recognition of his "stellar career".
"Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has awarded former Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene Honorary Life Membership of the Club. Jayawardene's invitation recognises a stellar 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. He appears on the famous Lord's Honours Boards twice, having scored 107 and 119 against England in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
Jayawardene becomes the 14th Sri Lankan to be awarded MCC Honorary Life Membership, joining former teammates Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas on the list. Jayawardene 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 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.
