Mathews says cricketers like Jayawardene come around 'rarely'

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said that cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene come around very rarely and younger players in the team have a lot to learn from his fighting attitude.

Jayawardene will bid farewell to Test cricket, as one of its prolific run-scorers, after his second Test against Pakistan that starts on Thursday.

Mathews said that it is an emotional moment for Sri Lankan squad as they all know, it's going to be Jayawardene's last game and they want to win it for him.

The skipper said that when a team walks into a game, they want to win all the time, that's the attitude Sri Lanka takes, regardless of what's happening around. He added that they want to keep their focus and play it for Jayawardene.

Mathews said that it would take a long time to replace the former skipper because he's the kind of player that comes around very rarely, and added that they can't do his service justice with words.

Mathews also said that the team especially the younger players will miss Jayawardene's presence in the dressing room.

Jayawardene will be playing in his 149th Test match, the most by a Sri Lankan cricketer, the report added.