The final wave! Kumar Sangakkara waves as he walks off the field in his final ODI for Sri Lanka in World Cup 2015.
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Sri Lanka scored 133 and lost the quarter-final match of World Cup 2015 to South Africa by nine wickets. There were tears but the tears were not for the loss. Memories of the horrid performance will fade. What won't are the countless memories crafted with precision by two stalwarts of international cricket - Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. (South Africa break knockout jinx | Highlights)
Sangakkara finishes with 12,646 runs in 447 ODIs with 77 fifties and 19 hundreds while Jayawardene has 14,189 runs with 93 fifties and 25 hundreds.
The two superstars played their final ODI for their side and were saluted by thousands of fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground. On Wednesday, Jaywardene scored 4 off 14. Sangakkara hit 45 off 96. These numbers will, however,� remain mere shadows against the grandeur of close to 27,000 runs from the combined blades of the two. They weren't called 'gods', they weren't regarded as 'walls' and they were never referred to with princely salutations. For cricket, the gentleman's sport, Jayawardene and Sangakkara were two genuine, high-achieving students.
Mahela Jayawardene acknowledges the crowd after playing in his final ODI for Sri Lanka
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The End of an Era
They came to the international scene as young 20-somethings. They left as men who defied age to earn repute and respect of millions all over the world and between these two lies chronicles of two highly-skilled individuals.
Yet at SCG, there were no fireworks. Their farewell was a simple series of handshakes, waves and nods - symbolic of Jayawardene and Sangakkara's demeanour. They were never the men looking for spotlight, they were hard-working players striving for their team's glory.
While Sangakkara will continue to play Tests - retiring after the India series in August, Jayawardene will pack up all his Sri Lanka jerseys. Their physical presence on the field may fade away but the stamp they leave behind on cricket will remain. Statistics and numbers, tons and runs will always highlight their cricketing journeys. What will also remain etched in the memories of millions of fans forever is the humility with which they worshipped their work and were in turn, worshipped for it.
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