Sri Lankan cricketers pay tribute to Tendulkar

Sri Lankan cricketers on Friday paid tribute to the batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar after he announced his retirement a day before, and described him as a living legend.

"We all know that Sachin is a living legend and he played the game for more than two decades and I was fortunate to play in his era. He has received so many great heights in this field of cricket and I wish him all the very best, he's decided to call it a day," Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews said.

Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara said that it would be strange to see cricket without a big name like Sachin Tendulkar.

"It's the end of an amazing career, the end of international representation, probably of one of the best players to ever play the game. It will be strange to see cricket without a big name like Sachin. He has had a career that is the envy of every other player and is a true legend of the game," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he would be retiring from international cricket after playing his 200th Test against the West Indies.

In a statement that was released by BCCI President N.Srinivasan, Tendulkar said: "All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years."

"It is hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have ever done since I was eleven years old. It's been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day," Tendulkar said further.