COLOMBO Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, who is a candidate in Thursdays parliamentary polls, voted a day early so that he could play in a tournament in India, election officials said.

Jayasuriya, who is running for President Mahinda Rajapakses United Peoples Freedom Alliance in the southern district of Matara, was granted special permission to cast his vote on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old batsman, the oldest man still playing international cricket, retired from Test matches in 2007 but has continued his career in shorter forms of the game.

He has been included in Sri Lankas squad for the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean from April 30-May 16.

Sri Lankas 1996 World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga is also a candidate in the elections, representing the opposition Democratic National Alliance. He entered politics after retiring from cricket.—AFP