Sri Lanka arrive home at last - and to celebrations
The Sri Lanka players have arrived home safely after being delayed in London following Tamil Tiger rebel air raids in Colombo
Cricinfo staff
03-May-2007
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The Sri Lanka players have arrived home safely after being delayed in London following Tamil Tiger rebel air raids in Colombo. The squad was returning from the Caribbean after their World Cup final with Australia last Saturday.
As originally planned, a welcome party immediately engulfed them. They had a parade from the airport and then carried on to a reception at Independence Square where thousands of wellwishers lined the streets. The airline carrier had to be changed though - Emirates were scheduled to fly the squad, but the airline has since ceased operations in Sri Lanka. Instead, they flew from London on Qatar Airways.
Not a week after the closure of this World Cup some of the older players were already being questioned about whether they would turn out for the next tournament, in Sri Lanka in 2011. Muttiah Muralitharan is very keen -"I would love to be a part of it", he said - but Sanath Jayasuriya was non-committal. He was, instead, contemplating his short-term future, saying that he would think about his future during the break before Sri Lanka's next obligations, the one-day series in Abu Dhabi.
Jayasuriya, 38, was modest about his average at this World Cup, where he averaged 46.50, saying: "I could have done better." He had already retired in 2005, but was back playing in early 2006, against Australia, before heading out to the Caribbean where he smashed two centuries and two fifties.