Gladiators-Sangakkara and Jayawardene-bow out of one day cricket at home

It is said that all good things must come to an end. And this finally hit home when the two gladiators of Sri Lanka and world cricket Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara played their final one-day games in Sri Lanka on Tuesday at the Premadasa Stadium against England.

Both Jayawardene and Sangakkara had announced that they will bid adieu to their one-day careers after the 2015 World Cup to be hosted in New Zealand and Australia. Earlier Jayawardene quit the established longer version of the game Test cricket which is what the game is all about.

He will together with partner in cricketing glory Kumar Sangakkara quit the one-day bash after the World Cup. They will be looking to go out in all splendour and glory by winning the World Cup which will be the icing on their cricketing cakes. Sangakkara has agreed to play a bit more Test cricket before hanging up his boots.

No bearing on the outcome

Though the final game against England had no bearing on the outcome of the series with Sri Lanka having clinched it in Pallekele on Saturday, yet their adoring fans in appreciation of their great contributions to the game, packed the R. Premadasa Stadium and gave them farewells that will long stay etched and treasured in their memory. Both Jayawardene and Sangakkara did not have much success with the bat. When they walked out to bat a packed house seen after along time, welcomed them with thunderclaps. Both would have been harboring ideas of making big

scores and going out in a blaze of glory. But their knocks were short lived. Jayawardene who is likely to open batting in the World Cup gave glimpses of his stroke play and when he seemed set for a big score, it happened. He tried a short arm pull off a short ball from Harry Gurney but the timing was excellent and it lobbed to Chris Woakes near the square leg boundary who gleefully gobbled the catch and that was the end of the final innings in the country. He made 26.

Sangakkara a dream run

Then Sangakkara who has been having a dream run with the bat in this series, came in and played some exquisite strokes and seemed set to compensate for Jayawardene's failure. But after making 33, off-spinner Mooen Ali bowled him a donkey drop which he could have slammed out of the ground. But he mistimed and at 33 gave James Tredwell a 'sitter' of a catch at mid on. Sangakkara could not believe it. But then that is how the game goes. When both were out the crowd went into a deathly silence unable to believe that their heroes who had done wonders for the game and country were out cheaply. But there was poetic justice.

With England down in the dumps on 215 for 9 and about to suffer a heavy defeat that would give Sri Lanka 5-2 series win Captain Angelo Mathews tossed the ball to Mahela Jayawardene to bowl his off spinners.

And the inseparables were in action. Jayawardene tempted Tredwell to leave his crease and Sangakkara whipped off the bails the pair had teamed together to deliver the England obsequies. The score book for posterity will have the dismissal as -James Tredwell st. Sangakkara b Jayawardene 17 and a victory by 87 runs.

Tillekeratne Dilshan the star

In this series winning victory the star was opening batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan. He too has been having a successful run in the series and capped it with a marvellous century 106. Not satisfied with that he opened the bowling with his off spinners and had the England batsmen in a flat spin causing the early damage to return figures of 3 for 37. With Dilshan opening the bowling and getting early wickets, the sector will want to open with him in the World Cup.

But the conditions and wickets will be different in New Zealand and Australia and how the selectors go will be interesting to watch. With this series win against England, the cricketers redeemed themselves after their debacle when they lost all five internationals to India in India and were taken to the cleaners by their ignorant and unforgiving critics. That experience seemed to have done a world of good and that is underlined by the fact that they regrouped and egged on by that experience played improved and the better cricket to put to second best Alastair Cook's England.

Young cricketers on show

The India and England's tour here was used to put on show some of the young cricketers who would be staking claims for inclusion in the World Cup squad. The selectors must now be having a inkling as to who deserve inclusion. But the final cut will come after the selectors watch how the team and those vying for places for the World Cup perform on the tour of New Zealand. In Kiwiland Sri Lanka will play Two Test matches and seven one-day internationals. With the inseparable twosome quitting the game, it will be akin to night cricket being played sans floodlights. Such will be the darkness that will envelope Sri Lanka cricket now that they have quit. While they wielded the willow above all with great respect, they strode the world cricket fields like colossus's, scoring tons of runs with grace, elegance excellent willow work with their different styles of stroke play.

Thisara 'Panda' Perera excels

Also in the final game burly all rounder Thisara 'panda' Perera proved why he has to be persisted with going into the World Cup by blasting a quick half century studded with fours and sixes. It was a devastating innings that also knocked the sails off the England cricketing boat.

When in this mood he spares no attack and takes the sting out of with rhino power hitting that sees the ball racing to the boundary or over it. Surprisingly he is a much maligned cricketer.

The Sri Lanka team for the Two Test series against New Zealand left on Wednesday with no Dilshan and Jayawardene who have quit the longer version of the game. But Captain Courageous Mathews who has led efficiently, intelligently and by example exuded confidence of stuffing the Kiwis. The Two Test series will be of no much significance because teams are concentrating and fine tuning their likely candidates who can help them win the 2015 World Cup. But after the Tests in Christchurch and Wellington, the selectors will send a team of one-day experts for the seven one-day games and will watch how they go.

By the way enjoy life now. It has an expiry date on it.

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