Jayasuriya wins parliament seat..

redidentity · April 9, 2010, 2:51pm

Another cricketer steps into politics..

Sanath Jayasuriya has won a seat in parliament for the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, AFP has reported. Jayasuriya, 40, cast his ballot on Wednesday, a day before the nationwide election as he had to head back to India to play in the ongoing IPL.

Jayasuriya won 74,352 votes to win his seat in his hometown Matara, in the southern province, an official with the local election commission said. Jayasuriya is the latest high-profile cricketer in the country to join politics, following the footsteps of former World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Hashan Tillekaratne.

Incidentally, Ranatunga was formerly with the UPFA, before switching allegiance to the defeated opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, of the Democratic National Alliance.

Jayasuriya quit Tests in 2007 to focus in his limited-overs career. However, he’s not been able to hold his place in the national team of late.

Jayasuriya wins parliament seat | Sri Lanka Cricket News | Cricinfo.com