The last of the trio that held together Sri Lankan cricket in the last five years, vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene, announced on Wednesday that he was stepping down from the post, marking the end of an era in the cricketing history of the island.
“When a World Cup finishes, it is time for a change. Mahela, Murali (and I) are remnants of a past era,” said captain Kumar Sangakkara. “A lot of new players have come in and stood up to be counted. Now I think it is their time, it is their future,” he said.
Jayawardene shares a deep personal bond with Sangakkara, who announced that he was stepping down as captain on Tuesday. Veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has already announced his retirement from all forms of the game at the international level. The three had formed the backbone of Sri Lankan cricket in the past decade.
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Sangakkara revealed on Tuesday that he had shared his decision to quit with Muralitharan and Mahela.
“Murali has always supported me in this decision. I discussed (my decision to quit) with Murali long before I spoke to Aravinda (de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket's chairman of selectors). Murali was probably the one who knew it first,” he said.
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Sangakkara graciously acknowledged the fact that Mahela was considered a far better player than he was during the school days. Jayawardene had made his debut three years before Sangakkara was catapulted into the team.
“When I was playing school cricket, I was very average. My first two or three years in club cricket too, I was very average. I had one great year at the under-23 level, graduated suddenly into the ‘A' side… I was lucky to get into the ‘A' team and then into the national side.
Mahela the best
“But I think among the people who are earmarked for great success from school level, the best one was Mahela. Without a doubt! And Thilan Samaraweera and Avishka Gunawardene. They were the players that everyone was talking about…
“And Mahela was, by far, the best of the three. And he has proved that all along… even on Saturday, the way he batted. I have been fortunate to play with these guys,” he said
There are no plans for retirement as of now for Sangakkara, and he would “love to keep playing till the next World Cup”, if he could.
“But then, four years will come in fours. If I am there, I will be happy. If not, it means that I have not done enough to get there,” he said.
Sangakkara said he wanted to get at least 30 centuries and 10,000 runs “as quickly as possible.”
On past captains
Asked which captains he respected most, Sangakkara said there were many. “I have a lot of respect for Arjuna Ranatunga. He has always been among the top,” he said.
Ranatunga was the most successful Sri Lankan captain and had two stints — between 1989 and 1991 and from 1992 to 1999. He has also been the longest-serving captain in over 30 years of Sri Lankan cricket, from the time of Bandula Warnapura (1979-82). Sangakkara also named Jayawardene, Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Hashan Tillekeratne and Marvan Atapattu, and said that he had learnt a lot from them.
Speaking of captains from other countries, he said: “Watching MS (Dhoni) was a revelation, not just for me but for a lot of people. You learn from all the interactions you have and it hopefully makes you better at making decisions.” Clarifying yet again on the toss in the World Cup final — and his being branded a cheat in some quarters — he said: “I don't cheat. I never have and I never will.”
AFP reports:
Meanwhile, the selection panel, led by Aravinda de Silva, also handed in their resignations to Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.