10 players who have scored 10000 or more runs in Test cricket

#8 Mahela Jayawardene

Jayawardene holds the record for the highest individual score by a right-handed batsman in Test cricket

A simple glance of Sri Lanka's struggles since Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara's retirement from international cricket throws light on how important the pair was for the island nation.

Jayawardene was the less celebrated of the two, largely because of Sangakkara's all-round abilities and record in different countries.

Jayawardene did get most of his runs in helpful conditions, in the Indian subcontinent, but to term him a flat-track bully would be taking things too far.

The job was there to be done and he did it with perfection. His longevity in the sport is also something to be admired as Sri Lanka made a nearly seamless transition from the time of Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva with Jayawardene and Sangakkara as worthy successors.

Jayawardene finished his Test career with an average just shy of 50 and his knock of 374 against South Africa in 2006 is still the highest score by a right handed batsman in the history of Test cricket.