Kumar Sangakkara bid farewell to limited overs cricket on Wednesday (March 18), disappointed with a World Cup quarter-final defeat but happy that Sri Lanka were in a better place than when he came into the side in 2000.
Kumara Sangakara after today’s Match
The elegant lefthander scored 45 runs against South Africa to take his tournament tally to 541, including his record four successive centuries, but it never looked like being enough as Sri Lanka were blown away at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Sri Lanka were scuttled out for 133 by a rampant South Africa, whose batsmen took just 18 overs to knock off the runs and reach the semi-finals.
“It was just a case of building partnerships, but every time we tried to get something going, there was a wicket falling, and the disappointing thing was that we gave seven wickets to spin when they were a pace dominant attack,” Sangakkara told a news conference.
“We should be disappointed with ourselves the way we played because we just weren’t good enough to get the 250, 260-run score that would have really been difficult to chase on that track.”
The 37-year-old, who will continue playing tests, departs having accumulated 14,234 one-day runs — second only to Indian great Sachin Tendulkar — and the greatest number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper.
Although his hopes of playing in a third successive World Cup final and finally winning one have been dashed, he remains philosophical.
“I’ve had a great time playing with these boys. Disappointments are a part of our career, and you just take it on the chin and move on,” he said.
Vehtuno