They walk away smiling

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara might not have got a fairytale ending to their ODI careers but the veterans smiled through the disappointment as they fondly recounted their respective journeys. “He (Mahela) would be terribly disappointed but that’s part and parcel of the game, there are no fairytale endings. How much you want to win a World Cup, end on a high, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t mean you walk away disappointed,” said a smiling Sangakkara.

Sangakkara relished the days on the field with Jayawardene. “It was always friendly, there was never any rivalry, other than when we played a warm-up game. When I got into the side, Mahela was two years there and he was already the vice captain and he was looked up to, he had a lot of respect. We were of the same age, we hung out together and that’s how we became fast friends.”