It’s been a while since Mahela Jayawardene retired from ‘active’ cricket but whenever this former Sri Lankan captain holds the willow in his hand he continues to enthral one and all. The master tactician was at his best yet again but unfortunately for him, his century the first of the Oxigen Masters Champions League was witnessed by a sparse crowd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday(4) afternoon.

However, that did not deter him from crafting a sublime 124 from a mere 60 balls to guide Sagittarius Strikers to a 63-run win over Libra Legends.

Jayawardene’s nine sixes and 10 boundaries were scored so effortlessly that it made one wonder whether he could still make the Sri Lankan team, which is currently going through a rebuilding phase.

The 38-year-old, who is still the highest run scorer for his country in T20 internationals, was quick to stand by his decision of retiring from the game.Speaking to the media after the match, Jayawardene said: “When we (Kumar Sangakkara and me) made the decision a couple of years ago to retire we knew the time was right for us to take a back seat and give it to the next generation to take over.

It was a one-man show by Jayawardene as he bludgeoned the Legends bowlers to all corners and propel Sagittarius to a formidable 227 for 3.

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