"The toughest guy [bowler] I ever faced was Wasim Akram who was very talented and had a lot of skills, which I don't think a lot of other bowlers had."
The 38-year-old, who considers Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Jacque Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar among batting greats in his era, said the Ockers "aren't ruthless" but "very competitive".
The hottest place he's ever played in is Chennai, in the southern part of India, where he recalled 42C days but emphasised subcontinent nations often averaged 37C.
Jayawardene said it was "natural" for batsmen to be dismissed for low scores and there was no such thing as "bad form".
Confidence, he stressed, was the buzz word because resignation to "bad form" could leave batsmen in a mind swamp for a long time.
The prolific run scorer didn't engage in chit-chat with the opposition during play but "did try to get under their skin".
He told the youngsters not to think of the ball before or a six or boundary but to "stay in the present".
However, "everyone should be nervous in the dressing room".
"Butterflies in the stomach is natural but don't think of going out," he said before going to Lindsfarne College in Hastings.
