Veterans hit out at officials over retirement row

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara hit out on Tuesday at Sri Lanka Cricket administrators who criticized them for announcing their retirement from Twenty20 internationals to the media without discussing with the board first.

The former captains, who are both aged 36, revealed their plans to retire from the shortest form of international cricket just before start of the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh — a tournament they went on to win on Sunday.

At a news conference on their return, the players said they only responded to a media query — adding that they had simply said they were playing in their last World Twenty20 and hadn’t mentioned retirement.

SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga and Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva had criticized them without ascertaining the truth, the players said.

Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya had also said that he felt let down by the senior players.

“We are deeply saddened by the way in which the chief executive and the secretary went before media and told things about us without asking us if we made such a statement,” Jayawardene said. “If they are responsible people they should have asked us first if we made such a statement or not.”

“It is disappointing that those responsible disturbed our state of mind just before the tournament,” he said.

Sangakkara also said that he agreed with Jayawardene’s stand and said they were not responsible for the dispute.

Jayawardene played 55 Twenty20 internationals before his retirement for 1,493 runs also including a century while Sangakkara played 56 and scored 1,382 runs.