It was a fitting farewell for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who pulled the curtains on their T20 careers with a memorable triumph at the ICC World T20 and their teammates today dedicated it to the two retiring legends of Sri Lankan cricket.
A gutsy Sri Lanka produced a clinical display to win their maiden ICC World T20 trophy with a convincing six-wicket victory over India in the summit clash at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Sri Lanka's ODI captain Angelo Mathews led the tribute, saying the entire team was focused to lift the trophy for the retiring duo.
"Sri Lanka this is for you. It was a great game. The win is a tribute to Mahela and Sanga. I am glad the whole team did it for Sanga and Mahela," Mathews said after the win.
Another senior member of the Sri Lankan side, Tillakaratne Dilshan echoed similar feelings.
"Today one of the three guys put their head up to do something for the team. It was a fantastic win for Sri Lanka. Good farewell for the two happy guys (Jayawardene and Sangakkara)," he said.
"I think Sangakkara struggled a bit in the tournament but today he used all his experience and showed his character."
Sri Lanka thus became third time lucky in a ICC World T20 summit clash.
"It is a special night. It's an amazing feeling after losing the last World Cup. Last five world cups we lost, but today is a great feeling to come back and win it," Dilshan said.
