Mahela assured fitting farewell

All-rounder Thilan Samaraweera on Monday vowed Sri Lanka would provide a decent send-off for Mahela Jayawardene, who steps down as skipper after the two-Test series against Pakistan.
"I think we will give a good farewell to Mahela as captain," Samaraweera told reporters after team's practice session here. "Everyone knows his record as captain and he deserves a befitting farewell."
Jayawardene last week took the shock decision to step down from the captaincy after the Pakistan Tests, saying poor batting form in a recent 4-1 one-day defeat against India had been a deciding factor.
The middle-order batsman, who has scored just one half-century in his last 17 one-day innings, said he would give up the captaincy so that his successor could build a team for the 2011 World Cup.
Sri Lanka arrived here on Sunday. They start a two-day warm-up match on Tuesday against Patron's XI, led by Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
The first Test starts here on February 21. The second is scheduled for Lahore from March 1.
The 32-year-old Samaraweera, a regular in Test matches, said Pakistan would be tough opponents.