He is also a partner and Trustee of the. Soon the father has to quit goofing around and prepare for the afternoon's training session and team meetings. It's the first-class system we should be focusing on. Sangakkara, just as trenchantly, persuaded him in the end that this was folly. He also won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Sport at the 5th Asian Awards, which were held in London on 17 April 2015. Being his final First-Class season, Sangakkara became only the eighth player to register five consecutive First-Class centuries. "We can't have two guys leaving at once," Sangakkara had said, and put his plans on hold. In the end, only the team's security personnel could extract the group from the mob. In contrast, when their team was knocked out of the ODI World Cup this year, Sri Lankan fans not only overcame disappointment, they briskly moved on to supporting, then feeling upset, for New Zealand. "Ever since he was a little boy - since kindergarten - he was outgoing," older sister Saranga says. He also lends his time and services to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and UNICEF, which is aimed at raising awareness of HIV prevention and eliminating discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. We might not be as outwardly crazy about it as some others, but it's a passion that runs deep, across all our communities. "There were times when I started really uglily and really had to fight it out until suddenly, one ball, after two hours, gets you into perfect rhythm". Then everyone thinks: 'Where the hell has this guy been all this time?'". Those tetchy lunges against high-quality spin still persist. He has also won the LG Peoples Choice Award twice in 2011 and 2012 and has been named the Leading Cricketer in the World in 2011 and 2015 edition of Wisden. In the recently concluded County Championship, Sangakkara scored five successive centuries for Surrey. Then he tries to show them how all this fits together - the stick propping the box open, the rope leading around the corner, where the children would wait in silence, then yank the box shut when the monkey comes for the fruit. "When I did that, suddenly, from being a player who could only hit between third man and cover on the off side, I was driving past the bowler. What Sangakkara possesses, according to many in these parts, is nidanam. The pull shot is mechanical. On one occasion, not heeding his mother's warning, he left the property and was bitten by a stray dog. Perhaps he knows it, maybe it's unwitting - but he is the personification of this unity now, because although there have been great Sri Lankan cricketers who spoke the northern tongue, Sangakkara has had their pulse. He was the Head Boy of school and was also awarded the highest honour of Trinity College, the Ryde Gold Medal, for the best all-round student. "My father's view was that if you were going to spend time playing something, you should play it correctly," Kumar says, "which is fine. All Rights Reserved. "I can't see what value I will be to the team if I carry on for a few months, or 12 months. He later pursued a degree in the Arts stream in 1996 and enrolled for a degree in Law at the University of Colombo, but was unable to finish it due to his cricket commitments. Sangakkara's own childhood friend Dharshana Senarath remembers the lengths Sangakkara would go to. He is an active member of the Think Wise Initiative, launched by the ICC. 10:00 IST | 04:30 GMT, 10 Jul, 2022 While prevailing wisdom taught that international success rested on leaving one's natural technique unmolested, Sangakkara chose to evolve. He also had the privilege of leading his nation. "You were out first ball, run out in the next innings, and now you have been shot. Officials are foolish to engage Sangakkara, because while they are ever tainted in these scrapes, his armour seems to gleam a little brighter from each public skirmish. While Sangakkara's supporters have grown, however, a dissenting group has also become equally vocal. Few Sri Lankans have been as widely adored. If the budget doesn't quite allow for two cricketers, Sangakkara has generally been preferred, failing which Jayawardene will do. ", Early in his international career, Sangakkara had his fair share of troubles against the slower bowlers. In public, Sangakkara is often hawking Sri Lankan cricket's marvels. It apparently went like this: Sangakkara was smitten by Yehali, but Yehali, not so sure, dispatched friends - twin girls from her class - to reconnoitre and report back. Along with his contemporary AB de Villiers, he dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test batting rankings over the past decade. He produced a special knock of unbeaten 156 against Zimbabwe A in an ODI on that tour which led to his selection for Sri Lankan national cricket team later that year. Sangakkara scored decent runs in his first few series, but rarely looked like a player around whom the top order would pivot. In 2015, he became the first batsman to post four consecutive hundreds in ODIs when he scored against Bangladesh (105 not out), England (117 not out), Australia (104) and Scotland (124) in the 2015 ICC World Cup. His contemporary and another batting great from the island nation Mahela Jayawardene has been his close aide for last 20 years. The country has moved forward, but our domestic structure hasn't developed from then to now. "The thing about our first-class cricket when I started out was that it was much more competitive than now," he says. Forget cutting loose, rotating the strike was a nightmare. He straightens in a chair on his back verandah, and crinkles his nose at the first mention of this sorry backstory. "But if he heard us saying this, he wouldn't like it.". "Yes, I mean, I read I was contesting the upcoming election in the papers," he says. 15:00 IST | 09:30 GMT, 13 Jul, 2022 He is unarguably the greatest cricketer to come out of the island nation and one of all time-greats of world cricket. "I knew that if I had got there in any innings before that, I would have been the fastest alone," he says. "I came into a Sri Lankan team full of World Cup winners and greats in their own right. He was the, of school and was also awarded the highest honour of Trinity College, the. When I scored runs sometimes, I said, 'Listen, this is how I did it, and it's completely different from the way you taught me. "You know, it's funny thinking now - it used to infuriate me when I was younger, and my father would torture me with a particular movement for months, then come and suddenly say, 'No, forget all that. ", "So?" If we had a two-hour practice, we would work for maybe half an hour, and argue for the other one and a half hours. Two days out from his third-to-last Test match, Kumar Sangakkara is hunched over a cardboard box in the backyard of his own house, his children flitting noisily about his legs. Sangakkara is more justified in his frustrations than most. Jayawardene had top-scored for Sri Lanka during the campaign, and, perhaps more crucially, been the team's tactical heartbeat following Dinesh Chandimal's mid-tournament ouster as captain. "Let them wait. He was hesitant to use his feet. And while he played, his father coached him. 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT, 08 Jul, 2022 Nothing like that." "Coming into the mall and going up the lifts Kumar got a few looks. Sri Lanka cricket fans rarely let their passions spill over; the same can't be said of Sangakkara fans - a group of whom are seen here demonstrating in Colombo in April 2011, demanding Sangakkara be reappointed captain , which were held in London on 17 April 2015. Not an ideal start to my political career.". When Kumar thinks of his childhood, he remembers the long hours of tennis-ball throwdowns, being roused early on weekends for shadow-batting, and the evening lectures on batting technique. "See if you can get a stick about this long." The most famous example is his recollection of novice opener Tharanga Paranavitana clutching at his bloody chest during the 2009 Lahore attack. Sangakkara was also a member of a choir and played violin while in school. , for the best all-round student. At a young age of 34, Sangakkara was invited to join the MCC World Cricket Committee (WCC). I think I've only ever driven through there. When she looks at him, he is pointing at her brother. Here is a man who has crafted his public image almost as carefully as he has his batting technique; who has steered clear of the political hand grenades that have devoured countless others in Sri Lankan public life. "When you've done one thing - played cricket - for such a long time, I guess you never know what you'll be good at afterwards. Earlier this year, just after the end of Sri Lankan Parliamentary elections of 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Sangakkara as the. He is second on the list of players who have most scores in excess of 200 in Test cricket. Their only rivalry has been played out in latter-day interviews, awash in complimentary one-upmanship. Sangakkara finished as Sri Lanka s highest run-getter in Tests as well as ODIs and boasts of majestic career average of 57.40, which puts him 10th on the list of players with highest career averages. His verbal repertoire is so vast he seems to have four answers to every question, and unfailingly chooses the reply best calibrated to present company. "But then I reached 10,000 there, and the screen at the ground had my name on top, then Sachin and Lara. It's more than just a sport for us. After skating around the house declaring to all that a monkey was in the garden, Swyree and Kavith announce to their father that they would very much like to take it captive. "But that's not to say no one should go into politics," he says. ICC/Getty Images. Sangakkara ended the County season to tally of 769 runs at an average of 128.16, and became the first man since Parthiv Patel to manage a streak of five hundreds in consecutive innings, who achieved the feat in 2007. Poetry that, when the couple's relationship warmed up, he quoted lavishly in daily love letters. "Politicians also provide an invaluable service to the country - we need them. Jaffna's delight in him is visceral at first look, but anchored in the cerebral. There was nidanam in the Basin Reserve double-ton in January, when he systematically subdued Trent Boult - his tormentor from the previous Test. There were times when I started really uglily and really had to fight it out, until suddenly, one ball, after two hours, gets you into perfect rhythm. I would be an absolute liar if I said that didn't give me a lot of satisfaction. His speech is easy, quick and flowing. Even the bent-kneed cover drive - Sangakkara's shop-window stroke - is pretty but clean, like it came vacuum-packed from a lab. "Ask amma if we can have a banana to use for bait." At a young age of 34, Sangakkara was invited to join the MCC World Cricket Committee (WCC). Change with a plan and you'll find yourself growing.' It was a tug of war and I was always chuffed when I could prove him wrong. He was one of the Sri Lankan batsman opposition bowlers worried least about, yet at the end of the day they would find him clinging on, 57 not out. Over the past decade a Jayawardene-Sangakkara stand has been a model confluence. Sanga and Maiya: has there been a better double act? "Kumar was a romantic at heart, I think. A great human being, Sangakkara has been involved in a number of charitable initiatives. "It will be a big change," he says, "but you don't have to be afraid of that. In the end, that's how I've thought about my cricket every single time.". "Why don't you come now?" Kshema would reply. Sangakkara could unbuckle his belt and moon them at this point and still they would all come away enchanted. He is an active member of the, , launched by the ICC. In some Tests, his batting partners may as well have set up camp and settled in with supplies at the non-striker's end. @andrewffernando, Kumar Sangakkara says he owes a lot of his success to his father, who wants him to strive for a standard of consistency only matched by Don Bradman, Kumar Sangakkara does not usually feature in discussions of modern batting greats. Yehali is just out of sight, watching over the children, near the rear French doors, but she reveals herself at the first sound of denial from her husband, like she had been lying in ambush the whole time. 15:00 IST | 09:30 GMT, 11 Jul, 2022 That's how you improve. "The way I knew how much he really liked her was because every day he would buy one of those 100-rupee payphone cards to call her. And though he fiercely denies this, Sangakkara seems to once have been a schoolboy who pined and pined and pined for the girl who would eventually become his wife. You didn't write me letters? In 2007, he became the fifth man in Test history to score back-to-back double centuries, with 200 not out and 222 not out against Bangladesh in home Tests. In the milieu of Jaffna batsmanship, it is charged with much more. Over the past decade, as Sri Lanka sought global recognition while striving to keep a grip on its identity, a Jayawardene-Sangakkara stand has been a model confluence. His teachers loved that. Sangakkara, the ceaseless refiner, is all straight lines and optimum angles. The bumpy rural roads of wartime Sri Lanka, made to seem worse by his father's "terrible taste in vehicles", lent a sense of peril to the adventures. He also lends his time and services to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and UNICEF, which is aimed at raising awareness of HIV prevention and eliminating discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. No one imagined this bag of bones would one day be a statistical behemoth. Sangakkara had contemplated stepping away from Tests as far back as the middle of the last year, when he got a call from Mahela Jayawardene, who had typically had the same thought. Without a doubt, it s been the best partnership of his life. They have come to see me. "We've definitely helped each other along by sharing our knowledge, or telling each other if something isn't quite right with their game, but it's never been a competition. ', "But then the older I got, the more I understood. The party following Sri Lanka's World T20 victory was enormous and euphoric. "I don't think our relationship has ever been based on trying to outdo each other," Jayawardene says. The evergreen Sri Lankan made it to the record books. So he ventured in a direction few Sri Lanka players consider. The cut is swift and severe. He had two tons in Galle to begin with, then big doubles in Lahore, Bulawayo and Colombo. ", "I was always chuffed when I could prove my father wrong. Their home is east of the capital - far enough from Colombo's rapidly advancing concrete for water monitors to sun themselves on grass banks, for cranes to wade around in rice paddies and for parrots to twitter from the palms. And on and on it goes, in a great big bum-patting merry-go-round, until everyone but the pair is nauseous. It's not for me, I think, but if anyone else in the room feels that that is their calling in life, that's a great thing for Sri Lanka. A change of grip was among his early renovations. 2022 India Dot Com Private Limited. This is Sangakkara's real forte. Advertiser's choice: three Sangakkaras on one hoarding He drills a single into the deep and watches his friend, the artist, transition from classical to surreal, sometimes within an innings, other times inside an over, however the mood strikes. Young men began the scrimmage, at first snatching pressed-cheek selfies with a whirl of elbows and upturned chairs for a background. In the year 2011, Sangakkara became the youngest person and the first active international player to deliver that prestigious MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord s. His speech was widely praised by the cricketing community and has been described as one of the most important speeches in cricket history.. For example, Sangakkara would often let fly with: "There's never been any doubt in my mind that Maiya's always been the better batsman." "You know," says Kumar, "we even had a driver once who broke his wrist driving our van, because the transmission was so stiff. In late 2013, Sangakkara stepped out of his car at an Under-19 tournament in Jaffna, and in the second of his Sri Lankan mobbings, was effectively devoured for an hour. "He was always very comfortable in front of crowds, whether it was with plays that we did or in playing his violin. He is also the fastest batsman to reach 8,000, 9,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs in Test cricket and joint fastest to 10,000 runs. Both have played together and against since their school days and the partnership hasn t lasted yet even after their retirements. Sangakkara has earned many awards and honours during his fantastic career. This June morning had spilt over into frenzy when Sangakkara's five-year-old twins spied a grey langur in the jackfruit tree just beyond the back verandah. Cricket is just for fun, Sri Lankans feel, so why get bent out of shape over it? That looseness outside off stump was dealt with. The organisation has been one of the most effective charity organisations in Sri Lanka. On May 27, Sangakkara rewrote the record book. In public, Sangakkara is often hawking Sri Lankan cricket's marvels; crowing about the raw ability, the free-flowing style, and fusion of resolve and finesse. Sangakkara scored decent enough runs in his first few series, but even against seamers he rarely looked like a player around whom the top order would pivot. "I don't think I quite expected that. It is not quite the vaunted "clear head" of modern cricket - more a burning, single-minded purpose. "Really Kumar? But when he reflects on Sri Lanka's shortcomings at close quarters, the veil slips. It is not difficult to wrap one's head around Sangakkara's popularity in the south, where he has played so much of his cricket and identifies strongly with the culture. His living room is lined with two levels of local art. After excelling for his school s and club s cricket teams at different age group levels, Sangakkara was selected in Sri Lanka A team for a tour to South Africa in the year 1998 99. He won the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2012, Test Cricketer of the Year in 2012, and ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2011 and 2013. "I can't see what value I will be to the team if I carry on for 12 months. But my taking up a place for another few months is just delaying the future for someone else. Sri Lankan cricket fans resent being likened to their counterparts elsewhere in the subcontinent. Sangakkara has been an inspiration to the Sri Lankan youth. "We went to this English Literature tuition class so we could find out a little bit more about him, and I think the first thing we noticed was that he wasn't like other boys," one of them says. As his Western legend grew, it has been tempting in the East to see Sangakkara as an Anglophile - a Sri Lankan who wishes he were otherwise. In Sri Lanka in a ceremony at President s official residence. But hand the man a microphone, put him in front of a crowd and he is a natural through and through. When a young man asks if there is truth in the rumour he is planning a political career, Sangakkara scratches his chin and furrows his brow in faux reflection. Mathews leads the peloton behind them, but even he is a long way back. 15:00 IST | 09:30 GMT, Breaking: Grandstand Of Galle International Stadium Collapses During Sri Lanka vs Australia 1st Test | VIDEO, Highlights | 3rd T20I INDW vs SLW 2022: Sri Lanka Beat India By 7 Wickets, Glenn Maxwell Banking On Ability To Tackle Good Spin Bowling, Sri Lanka vs Australia Live Cricket Score and Updates: SL vs AUS 5th ODI match Live cricket score at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, PAK vs SL: Pakistan Announce Squad for Sri Lanka Tests As Fit-Again Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz Return | CHECK FULL SQUAD. Often, companies say: "It's Sanga, Mahela or no one.". My taking up a place for another few months is just delaying the future for someone else". We're always looking for the next boy wonder.". He would further distinguish himself from other young men through his unabashed love for English poetry. His verbal repertoire is so vast he seems to have four answers to every question, and unfailingly chooses the reply best calibrated to present company. An elegant left-hander, Sangakkara holds numerous batting records in the modern era across all formats of the game. In simple Tamil, it means focus. A great human being, Sangakkara has been involved in a number of charitable initiatives. There was nidanam in Sangakkara's innings at Lord's last year, when he made a raid for that coveted ton and let no weight of occasion, nor the sniping from the slips, shake him from his purpose. He earns affection quickly and decisively, sometimes leading with that dashing smile, other times emitting a winning chuckle. Sangakkara was born to Kumari Surangana and Kshema sangakkara in Matale and grew up in Kandy. From among Sri Lanka's exceptional lot, he stood to gain most from the pre-Test priming that cricketers have, say, in Australia. ", In recent years, as Murali has retreated into happy retirement and Jayasuriya's star has entered freefall, King Kumar has ruled the land, with Jayawardene for a sidekick. Where before his consistency had been something of a subcontinental secret, in the last four years the world has awoken to his exceptional record. It is this state of mind that, as he enters his final series, has left him only one double-hundred short of Don Bradman's 12. And when hundreds begun to organise themselves in a stack, he knew he was making it work. Forget that exemplary set-up at the crease, you think. In contemplating Sangakkara's career - in acknowledging the recent frequency of fifties, the seeming inevitability of his tons, and the Bradmanesque pile of double-hundreds - it is important to take stock of the beginnings. In the year 2011, Sangakkara became the youngest person and the first active international player to deliver that prestigious, Sangakkara has earned many awards and honours during his fantastic career. I think we tried to make our way out at first, but with all the pushing and the photos and the autographs, it was all a bit hardcore." Words fall short when it comes to describe Sangakkara s illustrious international career. The island is passionate about cricket, they like to think, but capable of turning off when the going is poor. Both have been involved in the most famous partnership in the history of the game their 624-run stand against South Africa in 2006 which remains the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in First-Class cricket. He won the, He has also won the LG Peoples Choice Award twice in 2011 and 2012 and has been named the, in 2011 and 2015 edition of Wisden. AFP. The snowballing of runs since 2010, combined with his speeches, good looks and humility have given the cult of Kumar a fanatical edge. The paint company he endorses is hosting a weekend retreat for its salespeople. ", Signed, Sanga: the bent-kneed cover drive He played a number of sports like badminton, tennis, swimming, table tennis and cricket during his school days and even represented his country in badminton, tennis and cricket at his younger age. Once on a free day during an IPL season with Deccan Chargers, Sangakkara briefly forgot himself. The more I realised, I guess, the value in what my father said. The rains and the greener, quicker pitches in Kandy had fitted him with a serviceable technique against seam, but then, "I watched the guys who had grown up in Colombo - watched someone like Mahela - play spin, and I didn't really understand how to do that". But although this Sanga v Maiya split of loyalties is among the most well-defined rifts in Sri Lanka's cricket fandom, few would claim the two have not made each other greater than they would have been individually. In recent years, no cricketer has frayed this relative composure as much as Sangakkara. "Apparently I'll be needing votes from Kalawewa. No one imagined this bag of bones would one day be a statistical behemoth averaging over 68 across 84 Tests as a specialist batsman, or the proprietor of more batting records than any other Sri Lankan. ", Sangakkara is photographed by adoring young fans in Jaffna Even some time after that, when she had moved to Colombo, sometimes he would travel from Kandy to Colombo to drop off a gift for her and go back, just for that.". These are the Maheliacs - essentially the hipster movement in Sri Lankan fandom - who feel that though Sangakkara's numbers are excellent, Jayawardene's contribution has been greater, through intangibles like strategy and aesthetics. A mainstay of Lankan batting for a decade and a half, Sangakkara was a vital cog of the team that won the 2014 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 and that made the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. But when he reflects on Sri Lanka's shortcomings at close quarters, the veil slips. These devotees trawl social media and message boards, flaming those who so much as under-celebrate a Sangakkara milestone. Currently, it maintains well in excess of 50,000 people annually all over Sri Lanka and offers free psychosocial support, pharmacy, dentistry, indoor and outdoor facilities for sports, vocational training, English language training and basically life skills to bridge the gap between the urban and the rural communities. This is his superpower. He found it tough to hit against the turn. An equally efficient wicket-keeper, he holds the record for most dismissals in One-Day International (ODI) cricket as well. "The police came in finally, but before that the crowd basically packed into this tiny place. It was this charm that propelled the sharp rise of his stock in the West. "I've been told if I play another year or two years, I could score another 1000 runs, or I might be the second-highest Test run scorer," he says. But over time, the transformation has been immense. "In Sri Lanka, you're used to not really thinking about this sort of thing," says his long-time friend and agent Charlie Austin. Sangakkara has been an inspiration to the Sri Lankan youth. Soon virtually everyone at the St Patrick's College ground had enclosed Sangakkara. The 2011 speech at Lord's heightened appreciation for him at home, but its full impact was felt overseas, where he came to occupy a unique space: an Asian cricketer among the game's intellectuals. "They have been waiting here a while. Change is not bad. He says he would "love to equal" the man his father has forever urged him to match, but there is no doubt that after being compelled to stay for longer than he intended, Sangakkara's flame has burned a little less bright. You know, it was something to strike even Warner." "You don't have to go to school today," Kshema would say, "you can come with me on a trip." The Sanga-love that took hold following the World T20 win typified Maheliac gripes. Sangakkara, meanwhile, skidded through the tournament on scores of 14, 0, 4 and 1 until his unbeaten 52 in the final seized the narrative, even from the bowlers who were most instrumental to that win.

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