As soon as he broke into the side at the age of 22, while a law student, it was apparent that Kumar Sangakkara was destined for more than just batting stardom. The left-handers that had preceded him, like Arjuna Ranatunga and Asanka Gurusinha, had been pugnacious battlers but Sangakkara was cut from more graceful cloth, easing into strokes with the elegance often associated with those that play with the 'other' hand. The cut and the pull came naturally to him and with growing confidence, he became a more assured front-foot player as well.
Ranatunga had already exploded the myth of the Sri Lankans being meek men who could be bullied, but Sangakkara has refined the belligerence, combining a suave exterior with cutting asides and sharp sledges from behind the stumps. Initially, his glovework wasn't for the purists, but such was his batting ability that there was no question of displacing him from the XI.
As a batsman, he has matured steadily, and the appetite for runs was best illustrated at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2006, when he and Mahela Jayawardene, captain and close friend, added 624 against a South African attack boasting Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini. Sangakkara contributed 287 and did his burgeoning reputation no harm a year later when he went to Hobart and scored a dazzling 192 in a narrowly lost cause. By then, he already had a half-century in a World Cup final to his name, and long before Jayawardene relinquished the captaincy, it was understood that Sangakkara would be the anointed one.
He has been far less relentless in the one-day arena, often throwing his wicket away when well set, but his leadership qualities have made him a sought-after signing in the Indian Premier League. With the captain's burden on his shoulders, he no longer keeps in Test matches, but the smart-alec remarks from behind the stumps are a common feature of every game that Sri Lanka plays in coloured clothes. If he keeps scoring at his present rate, every Sri Lankan batting record will be his by the time he stashes the kitbag away and takes up those weighty law tomes.
Ranatunga had already exploded the myth of the Sri Lankans being meek men who could be bullied, but Sangakkara has refined the belligerence, combining a suave exterior with cutting asides and sharp sledges from behind the stumps. Initially, his glovework wasn't for the purists, but such was his batting ability that there was no question of displacing him from the XI.
As a batsman, he has matured steadily, and the appetite for runs was best illustrated at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2006, when he and Mahela Jayawardene, captain and close friend, added 624 against a South African attack boasting Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini. Sangakkara contributed 287 and did his burgeoning reputation no harm a year later when he went to Hobart and scored a dazzling 192 in a narrowly lost cause. By then, he already had a half-century in a World Cup final to his name, and long before Jayawardene relinquished the captaincy, it was understood that Sangakkara would be the anointed one.
He has been far less relentless in the one-day arena, often throwing his wicket away when well set, but his leadership qualities have made him a sought-after signing in the Indian Premier League. With the captain's burden on his shoulders, he no longer keeps in Test matches, but the smart-alec remarks from behind the stumps are a common feature of every game that Sri Lanka plays in coloured clothes. If he keeps scoring at his present rate, every Sri Lankan batting record will be his by the time he stashes the kitbag away and takes up those weighty law tomes.
Full name Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara
Born October 27, 1977, Matale
Current age 33 years 48 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Central Province, Colombo District Cricket Association, ICC World XI, Kandurata, Kings XI Punjab, Marylebone Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Warwickshire
Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Batting and fielding averages
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 94 | 156 | 12 | 8244 | 287 | 57.25 | 14732 | 55.95 | 24 | 34 | 1059 | 25 | 163 | 20 |
| ODIs | 279 | 262 | 28 | 8604 | 138* | 36.76 | 11404 | 75.44 | 10 | 58 | 857 | 37 | 274 | 70 |
| T20Is | 29 | 28 | 3 | 777 | 78 | 31.08 | 652 | 119.17 | 0 | 6 | 78 | 14 | 14 | 9 |
| First-class | 179 | 285 | 22 | 12628 | 287 | 48.01 | 32 | 58 | 323 | 33 | ||||
| List A | 363 | 342 | 37 | 11876 | 156* | 38.93 | 17 | 76 | 360 | 93 | ||||
| Twenty20 | 80 | 76 | 6 | 2182 | 94 | 31.17 | 1690 | 129.11 | 0 | 16 | 244 | 39 | 42 | 22 |
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 94 | 2 | 66 | 38 | 0 | - | - | - | 3.45 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 279 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T20Is | 29 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| First-class | 179 | 192 | 108 | 1 | 1/13 | 108.00 | 3.37 | 192.0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| List A | 363 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Twenty20 | 80 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career statistics
Test debut Sri Lanka v South Africa at Galle, Jul 20-23, 2000
Last Test Sri Lanka v West Indies at Pallekele, Dec 1-5, 2010
ODI debut Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Galle, Jul 5, 2000
Last ODI Australia v Sri Lanka at Brisbane, Nov 7, 2010
Last ODI Australia v Sri Lanka at Brisbane, Nov 7, 2010
T20I debut England v Sri Lanka at Southampton, Jun 15, 2006
Last T20I Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth, Oct 31, 2010
Last T20I Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth, Oct 31, 2010
First-class debut 1997/98
Last First-class Sri Lanka v West Indies at Pallekele, Dec 1-5, 2010
List A debut 1997/98
Last List A Australia v Sri Lanka at Brisbane, Nov 7, 2010
Twenty20 debut Nondescripts Cricket Club v Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club at Colombo (Moors), Aug 17, 2004
Last Twenty20 Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth, Oct 31, 2010
Last First-class Sri Lanka v West Indies at Pallekele, Dec 1-5, 2010
List A debut 1997/98
Last List A Australia v Sri Lanka at Brisbane, Nov 7, 2010
Twenty20 debut Nondescripts Cricket Club v Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club at Colombo (Moors), Aug 17, 2004
Last Twenty20 Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth, Oct 31, 2010
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