DHAKA:
Sri Lankan batting stalwart Mahela Jayawardene will retire from
Twenty20 Internationals after the conclusion of the ongoing Twenty20
World Cup in Bangladesh.
International Cricket Council announced the news of Jayawardene's decision on Twitter.
"SL legend @MahelaJay to join @KumarSanga2 in T20I retirement after the #wt20 2014," a tweet from the ICC said.
The decision came a day after another Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara announced quitting the shortest format in the international circuit after the Twenty20 World Cup.
The 36-year-old Jayawardene has appeared in all four T20 World Cups till now and 2014 event in Bangladesh will be his last one. He was the captain of the Sri Lankan team which lost in the final of the last T20 World Cup at home against the West Indies.
Jayawardene has played 49 T20Is to date, scoring 1335 runs at 31.78, with a strike rate of 134.17. He has one century in the format -- a 100 which is also his highest T20 score -- which came against Zimbabwe in Guyana during the 2010 World T20. He has scored eight half-centuries in T20 international matches.
Jayawardene made his T20I debut in June 2006 against England at Southampton. He led the Delhi Daredevils side in the IPL last season but found no buyers in the players' auction this year.
The ICC tweet also had a photo of both Sangakkara and Jayawardene posing together with the writing on the background: 'Last World T20. Let's make it count'.
Asked about the retirement of the veteran duo from T20Is, Sri Lankan opener Lahiru Thirimanne said, "They (Sangakkara and Jayawardene) are great cricketers. It will be difficult to match them."
Explaining the reason behind his decision to quit T20 Internationals, Jayawardene said, "The rationale is pretty much same as Sanga's. When it is clear that I can't see myself playing in the next ICC World T20, there wasn't much point in me occupying a spot.
"It makes more sense for a youngster to come into the mix and establish himself," he was quoted as saying by 'Wisden India'.
Jayawardenene's place in the history of Sri Lankan and world cricket is secure, thanks mainly to his achievements in Test and 50-over cricket.
In 143 Test matches, Jayawardene has scored 11319 runs at an average of over 50, his highest score being a mammoth 374 against South Africa at his beloved Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2007.
Jayawardene also topped 10000 runs in ODI Internationals, proving that there was room for aesthetically pleasing and wristy batsmen who relied on timing rather than brute power.
In T20 Internationals, Jayawardene has shown a remarkable ability to innovate, tasting most of his success opening the batting.
Jayawardene also led Sri Lanka in 19 T20I games, winning 12 of those matches with one game being tied. With 14 catches, he is also Sri Lanka's best fielder in the format.
"While I enjoy all formats of the game, and Test cricket is certainly the pinnacle for any player, the journey in Twenty20 cricket has been fascinating.
"In many ways it helped me get back to my roots, to bat like I used to when I was a schoolboy, for the sheer love of playing attacking shots and expressing myself with full freedom," said Jayawardene.
International Cricket Council announced the news of Jayawardene's decision on Twitter.
"SL legend @MahelaJay to join @KumarSanga2 in T20I retirement after the #wt20 2014," a tweet from the ICC said.
The decision came a day after another Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara announced quitting the shortest format in the international circuit after the Twenty20 World Cup.
The 36-year-old Jayawardene has appeared in all four T20 World Cups till now and 2014 event in Bangladesh will be his last one. He was the captain of the Sri Lankan team which lost in the final of the last T20 World Cup at home against the West Indies.
Jayawardene has played 49 T20Is to date, scoring 1335 runs at 31.78, with a strike rate of 134.17. He has one century in the format -- a 100 which is also his highest T20 score -- which came against Zimbabwe in Guyana during the 2010 World T20. He has scored eight half-centuries in T20 international matches.
Jayawardene made his T20I debut in June 2006 against England at Southampton. He led the Delhi Daredevils side in the IPL last season but found no buyers in the players' auction this year.
The ICC tweet also had a photo of both Sangakkara and Jayawardene posing together with the writing on the background: 'Last World T20. Let's make it count'.
Asked about the retirement of the veteran duo from T20Is, Sri Lankan opener Lahiru Thirimanne said, "They (Sangakkara and Jayawardene) are great cricketers. It will be difficult to match them."
Explaining the reason behind his decision to quit T20 Internationals, Jayawardene said, "The rationale is pretty much same as Sanga's. When it is clear that I can't see myself playing in the next ICC World T20, there wasn't much point in me occupying a spot.
"It makes more sense for a youngster to come into the mix and establish himself," he was quoted as saying by 'Wisden India'.
Jayawardenene's place in the history of Sri Lankan and world cricket is secure, thanks mainly to his achievements in Test and 50-over cricket.
In 143 Test matches, Jayawardene has scored 11319 runs at an average of over 50, his highest score being a mammoth 374 against South Africa at his beloved Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2007.
Jayawardene also topped 10000 runs in ODI Internationals, proving that there was room for aesthetically pleasing and wristy batsmen who relied on timing rather than brute power.
In T20 Internationals, Jayawardene has shown a remarkable ability to innovate, tasting most of his success opening the batting.
Jayawardene also led Sri Lanka in 19 T20I games, winning 12 of those matches with one game being tied. With 14 catches, he is also Sri Lanka's best fielder in the format.
"While I enjoy all formats of the game, and Test cricket is certainly the pinnacle for any player, the journey in Twenty20 cricket has been fascinating.
"In many ways it helped me get back to my roots, to bat like I used to when I was a schoolboy, for the sheer love of playing attacking shots and expressing myself with full freedom," said Jayawardene.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/t20-world-cup-2014/top-stories/Mahela-Jayawardene-to-quit-T20Is-after-Twenty20-World-Cup/articleshow/32194922.cms
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