As the flags fly and the papare plays for one final time for Mahela Jayawardene in Colombo, he admits he may become a little emotional. The city whose grounds he has filled since he was 16 has already given him one grand farewell at his final Test in August. They will almost certainly do so again for both Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, for whom it is also the final ODI at home. This time, Jayawardene said he would like to give thanks to the fans as well, whom he labels “the strength of the Sri Lankan team”.
“The best memories of playing at home for me will be the fans – the music, the rhythm and all that,” Jayawardene said. “I grew up playing with that for my school. We’ve always had it when we played the big matches. To finish it off with that same rhythm – you can’t ask for anything else. That’s the uniqueness about Sri Lankan cricket. That is the flair that we grew up playing with.
“We’ve probably got the best fans. They do criticise use, but it’s done with a good heart. They don’t go overboard. They keep turning up whether we do well or not, and they’ve always been behind us. That’s been the strength of the Sri Lankan team. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed that, so to say thank you tomorrow is a great honour.”
Jayawardene has been a staunch supporter of Angelo Mathews’ captaincy, and said he is confident the legacy he and Sangakkara leave behind will be improved on by the players coming through, particularly as Sri Lanka have had a rich year in 2014.
“Kumar and I have given as much as we can to the team and our country. We hope to do the same in tomorrow’s match. After we leave, Sri Lankan cricket is not going to die. It will go forward. There are many young players to do that. I’m sure they will take that responsibility on.”
The opening position has proved troublesome for Sri Lanka throughout the past six months, and though Jayawardene has opened the innings successfully in the past, he could not do so in his most recent attempt, at Pallekele. Sri Lanka have also drafted Test-match opener Dimuth Karunaratne into this squad, and Jayawardene said he may not face the new ball on Tuesday.