Goodbye Sanath Jayasuriya.

Back at the scene of his greatest Test innings, Sanath Jayasuriya couldn't bring the curtain down on his glorious career with the type of swashbucking display that characterised his 22 years as a Sri Lanka player.

Two days before his 42nd birthday, Jayasuriya returned to The Oval in southwest London to play the final match of his career — a one-dayer against England. It was the ground where he claims he struck his best knock — an extravagant 213 in a test against England in 1998.

Thirteen years later, however, the cricketer-turned-politician mustered only 2 runs before he was caught by Eoin Morgan off Tim Bresnan. Playing in his 445th ODI, Jayasuriya was given a standing ovation as he departed.

Scoring more than 13000 ODI runs,taking 323 wickets,winning a world cup and being runner up in the other one is nothing less then a legend. No modern cricketer can dream of this feat which Sanath has lived throughout his life. Now when he has finally said farewell to the world of cricket which he once ruled we ought to stand in high respect for this warrior against whom no other player ever stood out.

Jayasuriya begun his feats in 1988 while still in his teens. He at one time held the record for fastest fifty, fastest hundred and the most sixes in an innings and overall. It was his aggressive and thrilling batting which completely revolutionized the whole game. He was the pioneer of hard-hitting. At the peak of his career no bowler could dominate him. He was a major contributor to the Sri Lankan victory of 1996. Jayasuriya as many fans would tell you could easily change the whole map of the the match. Hadn't it been for Jayasuriya the rise of Sri Lankans to the top ranked teams would not have been possible. Those who have seen Jayasuriya play will always remember him as the life of the match. A great entertainer who played as a legend whole of his cricketing life. He is now an M.P. But as a cricketer he did not need to stand up for an election because he was the undefeated king of his age. We will miss you Sanath.