Kumar Sangakkara was unhappy with Sri Lanka's capitulation to South Africa's spinners in the quarter-final at the SCG. JP Duminy, who picked up a hat-trick, and Imran Tahir, who finished with 4 for 26, ensured the early pressure did not dissipate and helped bowl Sri Lanka out for 133.

Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott had been able to move the ball at pace and unsettle the batsmen, as Sri Lanka reached 47 for 2 in the 15th over when spin was brought on. Only three overs had cost more than five runs until then, and South Africa had bowled four maidens too.

Sangakkara, playing what became his final ODI innings, had attempted to hold his end up in the hopes of attacking later on. But he was the ninth man out for 45 off 96 deliveries as Duminy and Tahir were just as good in strangling the runs and forcing batsmen to make mistakes.

"The most disappointing thing was that we lost seven wickets to spin when South Africa have a pace-dominant attack," he said, "But that's the way quarter-finals go and if you're not good enough you are disappointed at the end. The wicket probably helped because it was a bit two paced at the start, but we should be disappointed with ourselves the way we played because we just weren't good enough to get the 250, 260-run score that would have really been difficult to chase on that track."

"A lot of people around the world who've been watching must be as disappointed as we are. We've got to put our hands up and say we weren't good enough on the day, but the boys tried their best and they can be proud"

Along with Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene was also retiring from one-day cricket and unlike the last World T20, they were unable to grab a trophy on their way out.

"He'll be terribly disappointed, but that's part and parcel of the game. You can't have everything. There are no fairy-tale endings, you want it to be that good, but if it isn't, it isn't. No matter how much you want to win a World Cup or you want to end on a high, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen and that doesn't mean you have to walk away disappointed."

"The most disappointing thing was that we lost seven wickets to spin when South Africa have a pace-dominant attack" © Getty Images

The Sangakkara-Jayawardene combination has lasted 15 years and the two batsmen have the second-most prolific partnership in ODIs. A part of their success was down to their chemistry.

"When I got into the side, Mahela was two years into playing. I think he was the vice-captain of the side and he was already looked up to. For someone so young, he had a lot of respect in the dressing room. When I walked in, we were the same age. We hung out together, went for dinner together and that's how we became fast friends.

"It was great to bat with him because he was always looking to dominate and you could slip under the radar and just coast along. We always knew [how each other plays]. He'd take a back seat and I'd take over sometimes and it's been an absolute privilege playing with him. Along with Aravinda de Silva, I think Mahela has been an exceptional player for Sri Lanka who's scored a lot of runs. He's made a hundred in a lot of victories, and he's given a lot on and off the field to the country."

There were the odd occasions when the sparks would fly, Sangakkara said, but there would be some satisfaction in stepping away from the game as well. "It was always friendly, there was never any rivalry between the two, other than when we played warm-up games. Then, that was highly competitive.

"But also, sometimes there is a bit of relief when your career ends. The high-pressure situations, the warm-ups, the ice baths, the recovery sessions - all of that, all repeated over 16, 17 years can get a bit much."

Sangakkara will continue to play Tests, most likely until August this year, but said that the team would continue to thrive without him, under Angelo Mathews' leadership. "I definitely think the team is in a better place than when I started. If you take some of the younger players, if I can compare myself to them at the same age, I think these guys are quite a ways ahead of where I was. That's quite exciting.

"There's no secret to playing good cricket. It's making the best use of your talent, working as hard as you can in the nets, and then making the right decisions out in the middle. I definitely think Sri Lankan cricket has progressed leaps and bounds, and I have no fear about the future of Sri Lankan cricket. I think our guys will do very, very well."

 The Sangakkara-Jayawardene combination has lasted 15 years and the two batsmen have the second-most prolific partnership in ODIs. A part of their success was down to their chemistry.

"When I got into the side, Mahela was two years into playing. I think he was the vice-captain of the side and he was already looked up to. For someone so young, he had a lot of respect in the dressing room. When I walked in, we were the same age. We hung out together, went for dinner together and that's how we became fast friends.

"It was great to bat with him because he was always looking to dominate and you could slip under the radar and just coast along. We always knew [how each other plays]. He'd take a back seat and I'd take over sometimes and it's been an absolute privilege playing with him. Along with Aravinda de Silva, I think Mahela has been an exceptional player for Sri Lanka who's scored a lot of runs. He's made a hundred in a lot of victories, and he's given a lot on and off the field to the country."

There were the odd occasions when the sparks would fly, Sangakkara said, but there would be some satisfaction in stepping away from the game as well. "It was always friendly, there was never any rivalry between the two, other than when we played warm-up games. Then, that was highly competitive.

"But also, sometimes there is a bit of relief when your career ends. The high-pressure situations, the warm-ups, the ice baths, the recovery sessions - all of that, all repeated over 16, 17 years can get a bit much."

Sangakkara will continue to play Tests, most likely until August this year, but said that the team would continue to thrive without him, under Angelo Mathews' leadership. "I definitely think the team is in a better place than when I started. If you take some of the younger players, if I can compare myself to them at the same age, I think these guys are quite a ways ahead of where I was. That's quite exciting.

"There's no secret to playing good cricket. It's making the best use of your talent, working as hard as you can in the nets, and then making the right decisions out in the middle. I definitely think Sri Lankan cricket has progressed leaps and bounds, and I have no fear about the future of Sri Lankan cricket. I think our guys will do very, very well."
(espncricinfo)