Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan batsman, has no plans to retire from cricket, even though he will celebrate his 39th birthday on Monday.

Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's highest Test run scorer and the second most capped player in one-day internationals, demonstrated he had lost none of his flair by smashing 72 from 47 balls against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in Lahore on Wednesday.

"I don't think about my future plans," Jayasuriya told reporters.

"As long as I am fit I will keep on going."

The stocky left-hander retired from Test cricket in December but continues to play one-day matches, a form of the game that made him a hero in his country and a feared opponent.

His explosive hitting helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup and changed the way many batsmen approached one-day batting.

"I don't think age is a factor with Sanath," Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka captain, told Reuters.

"As long as he is hungry to perform, I am sure he will keep on going."

Jayasuriya was dropped from Sri Lanka's one-day squad for the tour of the West Indies in April before being recalled for the six-nation Asia Cup.

"Sanath went through a bit of a rough period last year or so after the World Cup," said Jayawardene.

"People asked questions about him but I thought he worked really very hard. I think he needed to prove something and he proved it."

Nothing to prove

With 12,382 runs and 309 wickets in 412 one-day internationals and having retired after 110 Tests with 6,973 runs many feel, the all-rounder has nothing more to prove.

"I love this game and I still feel great after a good performance or seeing the team win," Jayasuriya said.

A former captain of Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya quit the national side in 2006 because of differences between the board and selectors but was quickly persuaded to return.

"I think he is the only guy who knows the answer how long he will keep on going," said Jayawardene.

"But I think he is amazing and it is good to have him in the team. He can still change the game pretty soon."

Agencies