London, June 22: Sri Lanka were defeated in the T20 final but not disgraced. Overcoming the trauma of being attacked by terrorists in Lahore, Kumar Sangakkara and his side won a million hearts back home and in the cricketing world as they showed resilience to fight back.

They were not good enough on Sunday but having played a brand of cricket that dropped jaws around the world, the Lankans dished out a fine lesson in dogged determination.

After a top order collapse, the Lankans recovered well to post a competitive 138 but could not plug Pakistan. Sangakkara put it down to the power plays. "We tried our best with the total we had, but if you don’t get wickets in the first six overs it’s always an uphill task," he said after the match.

However, he was proud of the way his team had played after braving the bullets just three months ago. "I think we’ve done brilliantly. Even if Lahore had never happened I think this is a brilliant achievement. Lahore was the furthest thing from our mind coming here preparing for the game today and playing in the final. The team has done a really great job mentally getting over all of those things," Sangakkara said.

He then swelled Sri Lankan chests at the presentation ceremony when he thanked the people in a speech delivered in Sinhalese. "Back home I know everyone was on edge once we got into the final. Sri Lankans love their cricket and they love the fact that we’ve come so far. Thank you for your support and we hope we have made you proud," he said.