| 1. Studied at St. Servatius’ College, Matara under G.L. Galappathy and Lionel Wagasinghe for cricket training. |
| 2. Announced as the ‘Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year’ in 1988. |
| 3. Selected for the 1996 Cricket World Cup team and became the Man of the Tournament. |
| 4. Named Wisden Leading Cricketer in 1996 and Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1997. |
| 5. Served as captain for the Sri Lankan cricket team in both ODIs and test matches. |
| 6. Started a political career in 2010 and appeared on a dance reality show in 2012. |
| 7. Chosen as a UN Goodwill Ambassador by UNAIDS for AIDS/HIV prevention. |
| 8. Held the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs for 19 years and participated in the highest opening partnership in ODI history. |
| 9. Received the 'Man of the Match' title 47 times and 'Man of the Series' title 11 times in ODI cricket. |
| 10. Only all-rounder in List A cricket history to score over 15,000 runs and capture over 400 wickets. |
| 11. Among 12 cricketers with over 20,000 international runs across formats, holds the highest strike rate. |
| 12. First and only batsman to score two consecutive ODI scores above 150. |
| 13. Scored centuries against every Test playing nation except New Zealand and the West Indies. |
| 14. Took 205 catches as an outfielder in international cricket and 336 catches in combined professional career. |
