Well played boys… 2015 is not far away…. !!!

It was an awesome feeling when everything began on 19^th of Feb… a season of joy, fun, team spirit … Sri Lanka was on such a hype that every office in Colombo seemed to be empty by 2.30 on a day that Lanka had a match to play… Country was filled with wishes, prayers, cutouts, banners and loads of songs about our beloved cricket team wishing them luck…

Among us, there were one or two who loudly predicted that “SL wont atleast qualify for quarter finals” But for the rest of us it was one wish.. one prayer... one hope.. one thought… We had our fingers crossed…. SL qualified day by day… people cheered across every street, every corner, every lane, every house when each boundry was played… people blasted the team when catches were missed (I thould I’d kill thilan Samaraweera for missing that catch and chamara silva for almost ruining the match)…

Semi Finals was a smooth smooth ride giving us lots of hopes, increases of heartbeats and adrenaline rushes… Entire Colombo was filled with blue t-shirts by Friday… it was such a hype everyone was looking forward to… Murali was given the best send off ever during his last match in the island…

We lost, lost with grace as I see…, but sad to see that many Sri Lankans don’t feel the same… Some say god decided to break 20 million hearts because he couldn’t break 120 crore hearts… 2^nd of April was a heart breaking day… tears of sadness mixed with tears of pride was in every Sri Lankan’s eyes… some saw it in a different way… At the end of the day its how everyone accepts defeat… some blame it on the team, some blame it on the President (as usual), some blame it on sanga…, some blame it on the selectors… some just simply accept that we did mistakes but Indian team played better cricket than we did…

“dear sanga..., u showed character and strength as a true captain... dignity with every step u took as leader... all the blames which come ur way today will be forgotten in a while & u will be written in history as one of the most charismatic captains ever.... keep shining.. il always love u…” I posted this on Kumar Sangakkara’s Facebook wall when I heard that he has officially resigned as the captain. Sanga, we don’t want an apology from you, No apology is expected from a country that treats its cricketers with dignity and love… we know you did ur best and u will always do…

When the team arrived on Sunday majority of us were having a smile on our face to welcome back them home… I felt proud, proud to be a Sri Lankan... not coz of cricket but to be one among 20 million people for the love & warmth they showed with open arms to welcome a defeated team...the amazing grace & dignity displayed to rise above the rest in a true spirit of unity and sportsmanship....

“Welcome back home boys - greeting you all with open arms. Murali, I'll tell my grandchildren (or cats) that I've seen your legend in the making - you're a cricketing phenom and Lanka will continue to brag about you for decades to come. Congratulations neighbours, it was a good game - party hard for 28 years' worth…” – Shamalee de Silva

murali, you were the best cricketer sri lanka ever produced..., the ultimate cricket hero to millions of fans... u will always be the most dignified cricketer we ever had and will be proud of u many decades to come… cheers for the spirit, courage and energy u gave in the name of sri lankan cricket... we will always love u...

The rest of the guys, You united a nation, during times of overjoyed victories to a hug of losing a game… you played with grace and dignity that it overshadowed the final result. .. we welcome you home boys… It will take sometime for us to overcome the lost hope and sadness… but one thing for sure, Sri Lankans will always stand behind you with a Sri Lankan smile, a pat on the shoulder and a waving flag behind every game you play… J