I have read reams and reams of newsprint documenting the life and times of Kumar Sangakkara, but confess to have watched him batting in the flesh only once. It was a moment I will never forget.
The opportunity came at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Bardabos, when Sri Lanka, led by Mahela Jayawardene, locked swords with Ricky Ponting’s Australia in the final of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
The final will be remembered largely for Adam Gilchrist’s extraordinary match-winning century — played with a squash ball apparently tucked inside his batting gloves for a better grip — erroneous decisions made by the umpires, rain and more rain, floodlights refusing to turn on and the presence of a selection of the craziest disc jockeys from the Caribbean celebrating every four and six with bursts of unrestrained high-voltage Soca and calypso music. One couldn’t quite figure out what was going to happen next. And this was just in the first innings of the game.
The tempo did not slow down. The match would also document a memorable riposte by Jayawardene and his batting partner and wicketkeeper Sangakkara. The Sri Lankan pair, who also form a mutual admiration society, put their lives on the line to try and chase down a revised target of 269 in 36 overs.
It was batsmanship at its finest and bravest in the face of huge odds, coupled with the presence of a highly motivated Australian bowling attack, which ensured that the pair would take their country to a total of 102 for the loss of one wicket in just 16 overs.
At this juncture, Sangakkara mistimed a pull, offered a catch and this eventually led to Sri Lanka’s implosion.
My colleague, Chief Cricket Writer K.R. Nayar, finally exhaled with me. Sri Lanka’s World Cup challenge had, for all purposes, been snuffed out but, thanks to Sangakkara and his batting partner, they went down in a blaze.
That innings by Sangakkara will, in all probability, be forgotten simply because as a batsman he went on to play other knocks of colossal majesty, showcasing his genius and, above all, consistency as the game’s finest left-handed batsman.
If Test cricket is all about the steady accumulation of runs, then Sangakkara was second to none of his peers erstwhile and otherwise. His stunning Test average of 57.71, in the context of today’s game and the advances it has made, ensures him of fifth place in the list of all-time greatest batsmen.
There was more to Sangakkara, however, than just the cricketer. He has consistently represented everything that is dignified and refined in modern professional sport, with the achievements to back him up.
A proud Sri Lankan who embraced the diversity of culture, thought and religion in a country that had for decades been in the international spotlight thanks to a drawn out and brutal civil war, which was fought from 1983 till 2009, Sangakkara is a lawyer by qualification, an erudite, well spoken man and, for those who never explored the minute details that surround the science of gamesmanship that prevails in professional sport, one of the game’s most effective ‘sledgers’ when standing behind the stumps, subjecting batsmen to his brand of suave but eventual mental disintegration.
World cricket will be poorer when Sangakkara walks off the pitch one last time after the second Test against India, which begins today. It would, however, make incredible gains if he contributes to the development of the game and its players in an administrative capacity.
Very often in professional sport the measure of a man is gauged by his accomplishments on the field. In Sangakkara’s case, despite the incredible successes that he has etched into the record books, it is probably the tip of an iceberg so to speak. One gets the feeling that the best is yet to come on a stage of his choosing.
Sri Lanka’s sporting ambassador has always been his own man, in thought and action. His priorities have, however, always been reserved for the interests of the national team whose colours he has worn with pride. He has never compromised on his principles throughout the course of a glittering career.
The biggest credit to Sangakkara the cricketer and the man is therefore summed up by his MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, which he made in 2011. His observations on the game and its administrators made headlines across the world, more so as they contained withering criticisms on the poor state of cricket in Sri Lanka. He was fearless in his criticism and patriotic when showcasing his emotions.
“They are my foundation, they are my family. I will play my cricket for them. Their spirit is the true spirit of cricket. With me are all my people. I am Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim and Burgher. I am a Buddhist, a Hindu, a follower of Islam and Christianity. I am today, and always, proudly Sri Lankan.”
