Kumar Sangakkara’s eloquence is unquestionable and he was grace personified on the final day of his T20 International career stating that it was a privilege to play the sport and it “does not owe anything to the players”.
It turned out to be a fitting farewell for Sangakkara and his other illustrious teammate Mahela Jayawardene as Sri Lanka triumphed at the ICC World T20, beating India by six wickets in the title clash here.
“I don’t think the game owes us, or any player, anything. Our job is to try and play it as best as we can and walk away, hopefully having made a positive impact. The game gives us the opportunities and it’s up to us to try and take them,” Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.
“We had four opportunities before this, and today we took it. You need a bit of ability, luck, planning, and execution. Also being at the right place at the right time,” the veteran said after he got a hearty applause from the media contingent.
Asked about his feelings having won the Cup, he understandably thrilled.
“It’s amazing. I can’t explain it. This is the first time that I have been a part of a team that has won a World Cup. We’d been disappointed four times before. It’s hard to describe exactly what you feel, but you feel humble. You realise how difficult it is to get here, how much support you need, not just from your team-mates, but from your family, your fans, the support staff.
“You can never do anything alone. You may be the best batsman in the world or the best bowler in the world, but you can’t do anything without support. At moments like this, you have to look back, reflect and be thankful for that support, because without that you wouldn’t be here.
“It’s been an amazing journey. It’s time to walk away, and to walk away like this is even better,” Sangakkara said, wearing his Man-of-the-Match medal proudly.
