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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.

South African AB de Villiers hugs Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara after their World Cup quarterfinal match in Sydney on Wednesday.

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.

The 37-year-old Sangakkara, who has scored 14,234 runs in 404 ODIs, was the ninth wicket to fall in the Sri Lankan innings after the batsman stood witness to no-show by the formidable Lankan batting order.

Sangakkara though ended on a high after scoring 541 runs in 7 matches of this edition and is still the highest run-scorer of the tournament so far.

He became the sixth player to score 500 runs in the World Cup. The loss notwithstanding, he remembered better things about him and partner Jayawardene.

“He (Mahela) would be terribly disappointed but that’s part and parcel of the game, there are no fairytale endings. How much you want to win a World Cup, end on a high but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t mean you walk away disappointed,” said a smiling Sangakkara in a post-match chat.

Sangakkara relished the days on the field with Jayawardene.

“It was always friendly, there was never any rivalry, other than when we played a warm—up game. When I got into the side, Mahela was two years there and he was already the vice captain and he was looked upto, he had a lot of respect. We was of the same age, we hung out together and that’s how we became fast friends.

“When we batted in the field, it was great because he always looked to dominate and I could slip under the radar and coast along. We always knew that we had that little thing where if he accelerates I can take a backseat. It has been an absolute privileged to bat with him,” he said.

Jayawardene, who had already quit the longest format, now bows out of the international scene after a career that started in 1997. He leaves with 17,838 first-class runs to his name, 11,814 of them in 149 Test matches. He played 448 ODIs, accumulating 12,650 runs.

Jayawardene though hasn’t had the best of World Cups after managing just a solitary ton in the game against Afghanistan. But the elegant batsman has no regrets.

“The hardest thing was to evolve with everything, everyday something new, every team is trying something new, so for you to survive, you need to keep pushing yourself and that is the most important thing. To be mentally, physically trying to outdo oneself, something that has been the toughest thing.

“But playing cricket with this group of players, enjoying with them in the dressing room, has been satisfying. But the most challenging has been to evolve from I started in 1997 to now when cricket has improved drastically,” he said.

“If you take the bowlers, the variations, they have a lot of variations under their armory. Even the batsmen they play so many different shots now. I think the tactics have changed, the way people look at the game has changed, it is more analysing. That’s fantastic.”

South Africa thrash Sri Lanka to enter semis

Spinners Imran Tahir and hat-trick man Jean-Paul Duminy shared seven wickets between them to help a clinical South Africa outplay an unusually hapless Sri Lanka by 9 wickets and enter the cricket World Cup semifinals, in Sydney on Wednesday.

Leg-spinner Tahir (4-26) looked like a man possessed while Duminy (3-29) bagged the second hat-trick of this edition -- after England’s Steven Finn -- as South Africa sent the Lankans packing for 133 in 37.2 overs in the first quarterfinal of this edition.

Team South Africa. File photo ( Photograph used for reprensentative purposes only)

South Africa, who are keen to shrug off their chokers tag, then came out to complete the batting job in 18 overs and register their first-ever knockout win in the 50-over showpiece event.

Quinton de Kock (78 not out) and Faf de Plessis (21 not out) stitched an unbeaten 94-run partnership to get the target without breaking a sweat. Hashim Amla (16) was the only casualty in an otherwise spotless innings.

But the day surely belonged to the spinning duo of Tahir and Duminy as they wrecked havoc over what was considered a strong Sri Lankan batting unit.

Electing to bat at the SCG, Sri lanka lost the plot from the very start after the Proteas pace attack dismissed the openers in double quick time to leave the islanders reeling at 4 for two.

But tweakers was introduced into the attack in the 14th over with Duminy getting the ball ahead of Tahir and the two spun a web around the Lankan batsmen.

Lahiru Thirimanne (41) shared a 65-run third wicket stand with the now retired Kumar Sangakkara (45), the veteran left—hander had decided to quit ODIs after the World Cup, to bring some stability to the Lankan innings but the Proteas spinners were relentless.

Tahir kept chipping in and off-spinner Duminy also joined forces after getting the dangerous Angelo Mathews out for 19.

Duminy got Mathews out off the final delivery of his eighth over and much to everybody’s surprise got two more scalps at the start of his ninth over to complete his first-hat-trick in ODIs, which was also a World Cup first for a Proteas bowler.

The batting bit seemed like a formality for the AB de Villiers-led side as they started the innings much before the scheduled break time. Breaking for dinner at 40 for 1, South Africa galloped to their target.

South Africa now await the winner of the New Zealand-West Indies last-eight clash, which is slated for Saturday in Wellington.

Sri lanka lost the plot from the very start after the Proteas pace attack dismissed the openers in double quick time to leave the islanders reeling at 4 for two.

Kyle Abbott got Kusal Perera (3) caught behind and then Dale Steyn sent the in-form Tilakaratne Dilshan packing for a nought.

But it was man-of-the-match Tahir who started the rot with a caught and bowled effort to send Lahiru Thirimanne (41) back in the pavilion after a hard-working knock.

Duminy after getting the wicket of Mathews on the final delivery of the 34th over got Kulasekara (1) caught behind and then trapped debutant Tharindu Kaushal plumb in front of the wicket at the start of the 35th over as the South African crowd went berserk at the MCG.

Sangakkara, who came into the match with record four consecutive ODI hundreds, was a mute spectator at the non-striker’s end to this abject surrender. The veteran left-hander, to his credit, tried to get some runs in the Lankan bag.

Sangakkara finally went to Morne Morkel, who had bowled well throughout and finally got the reward.

Rain did put a stop to all the madness after the ninth Lankan wicket fell but South Africa wasted no time in picking up the last scalp in Lasith Malinga when play resumed.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera c de Kock b Abbott 3; Tilakaratne Dilshan c du Plessis b Steyn 0; Kumar Sangakkara c Miller b Morkel 45; Lahiru Thirimanne c and b Tahir 41; Mahela Jayawardene c du Plessis b Tahir 4; Angelo Mathews c du Plessis b Duminy 19; Thisara Perera c Rossouw b Tahir 0; Nuwan Kulasekara c de Kock b Duminy 1; Tnidaru Kaushal lbw b Duminy 0; Dusmantha Chameera not out 2; Lasith Malinga c Miller b Tahir 3; Extras (b4, lb2, w7, nb2) 15

Total (all out, 37.2 overs) 133

Fall of wickets: 1—3 , 2—4, 3—69, 4—81, 5—114, 6—115, 7—116, 8—116, 9—127, 10—133

South Africa bowling: Dale Steyn 7—2—18—1, Kyle Abbott 6—1—27—1, Morne Morkel 7—1—27—1, Jean—Paul Duminy 9—1—29—3, Imran Tahir 8.2—0—26—4.

South Africa: H. Amla c Kulasekara b Malinga 16; Q. de Kock not out 78; F. du Plessis not out 21; Extras (LB—4, WD—12, NB—3) 19

Total (One wicket in 18 overs) 134

Fall of wickets: 1—40

Sri Lanka bowling: Malinga 6—0—43—1, Dilshan 2—0—10—0, Kulasekara 1—0—13—0, Kaushal 6—0—25—0, Chameera 2—0—29—0, T Perera 1—0—10—0. PTI AT AT 03181443

India ready for upbeat Bangladesh

Having decimated six oppositions without much trouble, India’s real title defence starts with a tricky quarterfinal clash against a confident Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup, in Melbourne on Thursday.

India with their power-packed performance throughout the past one month have emerged as worthy contenders for retaining the Cup alongside former champions Australia and co-hosts New Zealand.

Having decimated six oppositions without much trouble, India’s real title defence starts with a tricky quarterfinal clash against a confident Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup, in Melbourne on Thursday.

However the format of the tournament is such that the real test starts from the knock-out stages, which means that effectively three matches can ensure the Cup as qualification for the last eight was a foregone conclusion.

India on a roll

However to India’s credit, the initial momentum that they seized after crushing Pakistan in the first game stayed with them throughout the league phase.

South Africa was blown away, UAE were no match, West Indies at best gave a scare, Ireland got pummelled and Zimbabwe never had the bowling to shake India up.

So convincing has been India’s performance in the six matches so far that Bangladesh, at least on paper, do not even have the slightest of chance at the MCG.

But then ‘Cricket is a game of Glorious Uncertainties’.

The tiny nation has shown the gumption to fight it out having shown England the door and gave the ‘Black Caps’ a run for their money.

Call it irony but Bangladesh unwittingly made a contribution towards ICC trying out this current format in World Cup after they shocked India in the 2007 edition in a round robin match at Port of Spain.

‘Banana peel’

With only skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the surviving member of that 2007 team that was trampled under relentless pressure, the current team does not have anyone, who has scars of that defeat.

So Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys can prove to be the proverbial ‘banana peel’ on which Dhoni and his boys can slip.

As the tournament reaches its business end, the margin for error is now nil and that is what will demand double the intensity from Dhoni’s side with the Cup now firmly in sight.

Qualitatively, Bangladesh are no match for India, who are certainly overwhelming favourites going into the match.

India few notches about Bangladesh

Player by player, India is quite a few notches above their opposition. Bangladesh will be hoping dearly that their formidable opposition have a bad day in office which they can cash in.

If one compares the batting, then India’s top six batsmen are capable of competing with the best in the world while Bangladesh’s willow wielders at best can be termed talented players with lack of consistency.

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane have blown hot and cold in this tournament so far but on their day, they are equally dangerous like a Virat Kohli or a Suresh Raina.

Shikhar Dhawan with 337 runs to his credit is among the top run-getters in the competition. On his day, he can murder any opposition. He missed out against Zimbabwe, which has been a rarity in the competition and Mashrafe, Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed can have a rough day if the Delhi lad gets going.

Kohli has 301 runs in the tournament so far but it has been more about good starts for him but post century against Pakistan, the Indian vice-captain has failed to convert into a big score getting into 30’s and 40’s.

Raina is certainly bubbling with confidence after his match-winning hundred against Zimbabwe in a tricky run-chase.

Dhoni has played two knocks of significance and both came under pressure against West Indies and Zimbabwe respectively.

So when one gets down to comparison, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haq Bijoy, are no match even though they are good players in their own right.

The in-form Mahmudullah (344 runs) might pose some problems for India’s bowlers after his back-to-back centuries against England at Adelaide and against New Zealand in Hamilton in their last league game.

Even Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan can throw some challenges but that is not something that Dhoni and his boys would lose their sleep over it.

India’s bowling attack

India’s bowling attack did face a few troublesome questions in the shorter grounds in New Zealand but did enough to take all 60 wickets in the six group league matches so far.

The bowlers have done a commendable job in the tournament so far. Mohammed Shami is leading the pack with 15 wickets to his credit and will be again expected to give his team a good start.

Umesh Yadav’s rate of consistency has been pretty high in the tournament so far and the speed he works up at the beginning will again be needed. On wickets front also, Yadav has not done badly grabbing 10 scalps to his credit.

Ravichandran Ashwin had an off-day in Auckland as Brendan Taylor was in full swing but with 12 wickets so far has been one of the better performers for India.

With the action switching from the small Eden Park ground to the sprawling MCG, Ashwin will feel that a lot of those sixes hit by Taylor on that ground might potentially turn out to be the catch.

Jadeja’s performance

India’s only weak link in the tournament has been Ravindra Jadeja’s performance. The only area where Bangladesh might just have had their nose ahead as Shakib without any doubt is a better cricketer than the Saurashtra boy.

Bangladesh’s real problem could be their bowling.

Mashrafe and Rubel can be skiddy customers but it is not proved that they can keep up their consistency match after match. Also none among the Bangladeshi bowlers have had number of victims in double digits.

Taskin Ahmed, the third pacer is relatively inexperienced and has a penchant for leaking runs.

So even if their nation is boiling with excitement, Bangladeshi cricketers know that their job will be very tough.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Stuart Binny, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza, Anamul Haque, Arafat Sunny, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Mushfique Rahim, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shabbir Rahman, Shakib al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.

Match Starts: 9 am IST.