One of the difficult tasks in a sportsman’s career is to
decide about when to leave the scene. And mind you it’s never an easy decision
to make. The grand stage on which a champion has dominated with pride suddenly
start to frustrate him, suddenly the fan followers start to question ‘When are
you leaving?’ The dignity which the champion has earned with utmost
perseverance get hurt by the harsh remarks. But the champion wishes to dream of
tomorrow despite being a man of yesterday. His mind wishes to command, his body
and reflexes betrays.
In the subcontinental cricket culture, timely retirements or
stepping down from captaincy have never been a very popular theory. The
champions of the past had to be omitted by forceful retirements. What had been
the most pathetic sight was the bruising of their much earned dignity. But
those players didn’t deserve this. The one mistake those champions made was
misjudging their capability which has been dented by the age. They gave
emotions more priority rather than the reality and thus retirement with grace
never took place.
Yesterday, Mahela Jayawardene, announced that he will not
continue as Sri Lanka’s captain after the Australian tour. And he has expressed
his will to support and groom Angelo Mathews, the next expected Lankan captain,
to grow up as a leader. We don’t come across such wonderful gestures in the
subcontinental cricket culture, but mean-minded attitudes and jealousy features
more. By taking such as a decision Mahela Jayawardene has taught everyone a
lesson about when to step down or leave the scene.
After the 2011 World Cup, Kumar Sangakkara stepped down as
captain and Dilshan was vested with the captaincy. With stalwarts like
Muralitharan and Vaas, leaving the scene; Sri Lanka found themselves in an ugly
transitional phase. After a series of heavy defeats, the captaincy was vested
upon the wily Mahela Jayawardene and immediately he brought the Lankan cricket
on track. The year 2012 has been a very productive year for Sri Lanka under
Mahela and in his helm of captaincy, Mahela has decided to step down and leave
the scene for tomorrow’s heroes. Mahela has left the most prestigious job while
wanting more and that’s the mindset which is very unpopular amongst our part of
the world’s cricketers.
Mahela Jayawardene has set himself a standard which everyone
should follow. Self-realization and self-appraisals are very important to every
sportsman while deciding when to leave. Prolonging a once illustrious career
which has lost its shine in the passage of time is nothing but inviting more
ordinariness and dullness. So the wise job is to retire with grace, retire
while wanting more.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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