Kuldip Lal
COLOMBO: One of the game’s most elegant stroke-makers, Mahela Jayawardene, enjoyed a fitting farewell to Test cricket at his home ground as Sri Lanka completed a 2-0 series sweep against Pakistan yesterday.
Few cricketers exemplified the spirit of the game better than the gentlemanly 37-year-old, though his pleasant demeanour hid nerves of steel, a calculating, street-smart mind and an obsessive drive for perfection.
His final innings at his favourite Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo on Sunday had been yet another classy knock of 54 that saw him complete the milestone of a half century of Test fifties.
He had retired from Twenty20 internationals after Sri Lanka’s title-winning campaign in the World T20 in April, but will continue in the 50-over game hoping to compete in next year’s one-day World Cup in Australia.
Jayawardene was hoisted on to his teammates’ shoulders and warmly congratulated by Sri Lanka’s president after ending his Test career at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club stadium.
“Players come and go, but the game continues,” the 37-year-old said, after ending a 17-year Test career in which he became one of the great batsmen of modern times.
“When Murali retired, people said we won’t win without him,” the former captain said. “But we are still doing well. There are others who will do even better than us.”
Jayawardene is one of only five batsmen to score more than 11 000 runs in both Test and one-day cricket – the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and teammate Kumar Sangakkara.
That he finished with an average of 49.84 over 149 Tests with 34 hundreds, six times passing 200, illustrates his irrepressible hunger for runs through a 17-year career.
Although his form outside Asia had been inconsistent, he set a deluge of records at home.
He scored a monumental 374 during a world-record partnership of 624 with Sangakkara (287) against a South African attack that included Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini at the SSC in 2006.
Jayawardene looked set to surpass Brian Lara’s record of 400 when he was bowled against the run of play. Ever the teammate, he preferred to rejoice in his team’s huge win by an innings and 153 runs.
He got an immediate taste of big scores on his Test debut as a 20-year-old in 1997, when Sri Lanka piled up a world-record total of 952/6 declared against India at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo.
Slated to bat at No 6 the young Jayawardene saw Sanath Jayasuriya make 340, supported by Roshan Mahanama (225), before himself scoring 66.
Jayawardene’s farewell Test was originally scheduled to be played at the P Sara Oval in Colombo before officials accepted a request to move it to the SSC. His 2 921 runs in 27 Tests at the SSC are the most by any batsman at a single ground, marked by an average of 74.89 with 11 centuries and nine 50s.
Last month, against Hashim Amla’s South African team, Jayawardene showed his skills had not diminished as he once again revelled in the serene surroundings of the SSC to make a fluent 165.
Jayawardene said he would concentrate on one-day matches until next year’s World Cup.
“I am not sure I will be selected for the World Cup, but I will focus on one-day cricket,” he said ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan starting this week.
Jaywardene was captain when Sri Lanka made the World Cup final in 2007, losing to Australia. He also scored a century in the final of the 2011 edition won by India.
Jayawardene added that he felt he had quit at the right time despite still showing good form with the bat.
“I took the decision to retire after a lot of serious thought,” he said. “I was fortunate to have played for 17 years so it was not an easy decision to make.
“But I think the time was right to go. It was a gut feeling and I have always gone by my gut feelings in the past.
“We do not have many Tests for a year now. I have played enough and it is time for the younger players to take over.
“I have very pleasant memories of my career. I enjoyed this phase of my life, I learnt a lot and good things entered my life. I cherish every moment of it.”
He was almost though lost for words as he addressed a crowd that included Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse after the match yesterday.
“I don’t know what to say, but I promise I won’t cry,” Jayawardene said at the presentation ceremony.
“I love you all. Thank you so much for the support all these years. I still have a little bit left and I promise I’ll give it my all for the World Cup.”
Off the field, Jayawardene is the co-owner with Sangakkara of an upmarket crab restaurant in Colombo.
It is only fitting that Sangakkara had the last words, saying that his good friend will be hard to replace.
“Not just me, but the cricket world, Sri Lankan fans and our whole team will feel the loss of a great player like Mahela,” Sangakkara said. “It will take a long time to fill that void.” – Sapa-AFP