So, Sri Lanka just waved goodbye to the Cricket World Cup. Today we also say farewell to two of the most talented and finest gentlemen in the history of the game: Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
While it is easy to say “win or lose, we booze” and shrug it off (as we often do), this time the disappointment is too great, too all-consuming to simply forget and move on. Three times now we have come close to bringing the Cup home again, ever since that glorious victory in Lahore in 1996. And this time we didn’t even make it to the semis. Also, to add insult to injury, we were bowled out for an embarrassing 133 runs in a tournament where 300+ had become the norm. It was not the sendoff Sanga and Mahela deserved. Not after everything they’ve done for the game and the country. (Cynics and haters can get lost).
To many in Sri Lanka, cricket is a lot more than just a game. It’s almost a religion. One that transcends any and all divisions in a country deeply scarred by three decades of bloody war. One that is able to unite 20 million people in a way that nothing else can. While we may not be as crazy as India (our players’ houses are still standing), Sri Lankans live and breathe cricket and will go to great lengths to make sure you know it. Everything else takes a back seat on a big game day, and productivity levels descend to an all time low, every time.
So, naturally, when we come this close to a massive win — even if it was just the quarter finals this year, even against such tremendous odds (nobody expected us to win the cup, but there was hope)— only to turn back, broken and beaten, the disappointment is that much greater, the heartache that much stronger. How do you move on from that, as a cricket-crazy nation?Can you move on?
But move on we must. And move on we will. For we are a resilient people. Today’s choke notwithstanding, our cricketers are known for not giving up, for never backing down — and therein lies our strength, the true spirit of Sri Lanka. World Cups will come and go, but we know we are still and will always be one of the best teams to ever grace the game. Faces may change over the next few months, but if we, the fans, stay strong and stand by the team through the best of times and through the worst of times as we have done in the past, there is no telling what greatness Sri Lanka Cricket will achieve in the years to come. And that, I believe, is the best parting gift we can give to Sanga and Mahela. No one can say they don’t deserve it.
