After the Great Legend Jacques Kallis Mahela Jayawardene announces his retirement from Test Cricket

Sri-Lanka Mahela Jayawardene to Retire from Test Cricket

Mahela Jayawardene last Test Match as he announces his Retirement

Johannesburg: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said that cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene come around very rarely and younger players in the team have a lot to learn from his fighting attitude.Jayawardene will bid farewell to Test cricket, as one of its prolific run-scorers, after his second Test against Pakistan that starts on Thursday.Mathews said that it is an emotional moment for Sri Lankan squad as they all know, it`s going to be Jayawardene`s last game and they want to win it for him."It is an emotional moment for everyone," Mathews said. "We want to win it for him. He has been the pillar of strength for us for so many years. We will miss him a lot."The best thing we can do is try and win the game and give him the best farewell that we could possibly give him."Jayawardene, 37, who has already retired from Twenty20 internationals, will quit the longer format after the Test, even though he will continue playing in one-day matches till next year`s World Cup Down Under.The elegant right-hander is one of only five batsmen to score more than 11,000 runs in both Test and one-day cricket -- the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and team-mate Kumar Sangakkara.Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle on Sunday by seven wickets after a nail-biting chase when they beat fading light to surpass the target of 99 in the final session just before heavy rain drenched the ground.Jayawardene`s farewell Test was originally scheduled to be played at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo before thoughtful officials moved it to the SSC.
Jayawardene`s 2,863 runs in 26 Tests at the SSC are the most by any batsman at a single ground, highlighted by an average of 77.37 there with 11 centuries that include a best of 374 against South Africa in 2006.