Mahela, Sangakkara bid adieu to ODI cricket

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara might not have got a fairytale ending to their final ODI match of their glorious careers but the veterans smiled through the disappointment as they fondly recounted their respective journeys. The duo had already called time on their respective ODI careers before the 50-over showpiece event and it all ended on a bitterly disappointing note as Sri Lanka bowed out with a nine-wicket loss to South Africa in the quarterfinal in Sydney on Wednesday. Sangakkara, who came into this game with record four consecutive ODI hundreds, scored a valiant 45 but saw an abject surrender from all the other Lankan batsmen as the innings folded for 133 in 37.2 overs. The stylish left-hander stitched a 65-run third wicket stand with Lahiru Thirimanne to pose a fightback after the openers departed but South African spinners Imran Tahir and Jean-Paul Duminy were too hot to handle after sharing seven wickets between them.