Jayawardene to step down

Cricinfo staff
February 11, 2009

Mahela Jayawardene has announced that he will resign as Sri Lanka captain after the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan. The decision, announced on Wednesday, comes three days after Sri Lanka lost to India 4-1 in their ODI series at home.
Jayawardene, who sat out of Sri Lanka's Twenty20 international against India on Tuesday, called for a meeting with the selectors the next day and proposed that the time was right to hand over the captaincy, ensuring his successor sufficient time to build the team for the 2011 World Cup.
"In the best interests of the Sri Lanka team, I have decided to stand down as Sri Lanka captain after this Pakistan tour," Jayawardene said in a statement. "This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup.
"After much thought, I have concluded that the right time has now come for fresh leadership to takeover. It was not an easy decision to make because being the Sri Lanka captain has been the source of enormous pride. I am very grateful to have been granted the honour of leading the team during the last three years. I would like to extend a special thank-you to my team-mates for making the job so easy and fulfilling, to the Sri Lanka Cricket officials and selectors who placed their faith in me, and to family, friends and fans who have provided so much support. I look forward now to extending my full support to my successor and hope to play a major part in the team's success during coming years as a batsman."