Kumar Sangakkara Biography
‘Sanga’ as he is known to his teammates is currently Sri Lanka’s captain and the man who looks to be entrusted the responsibility to lead Sri Lanka in pole position in WC 2011. A qualified lawyer, Sangakkara is one of cricket’s most endearing personalities both on and off the field.
A Ryde medallist during his college years, Sangakkara started out as a pure batsman but subsequently started keeping wickets. He made his domestic debut for Nondescripts at the age of 20 and was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. Even as a youngster, Sangakkara was gifted with exemplary temperament and was highly rated for his lucid style of batting. Within two years of his domestic debut, he made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in a triangular tournament which involved South Africa. He scored 35 in the match and also gloved a catch. He carried on from his debut to have a brilliant series averaging 66.33 and affecting 7 dismissals. His performances were rewarded with a Test callup against South Africa, a series in which he performed admirably behind the stumps. With a string of impressive performances in Tests and ODI’s, Sangakkara gradually displaced one of Sri Lanka’s greatest wicket- keepers Romesh Kaluwitharana and cemented himself in Sri Lanka’s squad.
As a batsman, Sangakkara is a connoisseur’s delight. He is a good player of both fast and spin bowling and is known to revel in difficult situations. His favourite shot is square of the wicket on the off side and he is also a very good puller of the ball. He also has amazing levels of concentration and is known to score big once he reaches a hundred. He is the joint holder of the world record partnership in tests. With the experience of playing under several captains during his career, Sangakkara displays great maturity while leading his side and is known to back youngsters to the hilt. His multilingual abilities also make him a hit in the diverse Sri Lankan dressing room. He was Kings XI Punjab skipper in the 2010 IPL season. He has given up his gloves in the Test arena to concentrate on batting and captaincy and the move has paid off as he averages astonishingly above 70 as a non wicket-keeper. With his best years ahead of him, Sangakkara is destined to only get better with time. With the WC looming large, Sri Lanka will be banking on Sangakkara to hit a high note and hopefully repeat the heroics of the legendary Arjuna Ranatunga.
Fast Facts
He holds the Sri Lankan record of most number of dismissals affected by a wicket-keeper in Tests, ODI’s and T20’s.
He is 3rd on the all time list of number of dismissals affected by a keeper in ODI’s.
He holds the record for fastest to reach 8000 runs in test cricket, a feat which he achieved in just 152 innings.
He is currently Sri Lanka’s 2nd highest run getter in Tests and 5th in ODI’s.
He is ranked 6th on ICC’s all time Test batting ranks.
He has scored a century against every test playing nation.
His 230 against Pakistan in 2002 is the second highest score for a wicket-keeper batsman in Tests.
He shares Sri Lanka’s 2nd highest partnership of 438 with Atapattu against Zimbabwe in 2004.
He was selected as the World XI's wicket-keeper in 2005 Super Series in Australia.
He holds the world record partnership of 624 with Mahela Jayawardena against South Africa in 2006 at Colombo.
He is only the sixth man in history to score back to back double centuries, a feat which he achieved against Bangladesh in 2007.
In 2007, Sangakkara became the first batsman to ever to make single innings scores in excess of a 150 or more in four consecutive test matches.
He was named as ‘Test Batsman of the Year’ in Sri Lanka’s inaugural cricket awards.
His 222 in a single day is the Sri Lankan Test record of most runs in a day.
‘Sanga’ as he is known to his teammates is currently Sri Lanka’s captain and the man who looks to be entrusted the responsibility to lead Sri Lanka in pole position in WC 2011. A qualified lawyer, Sangakkara is one of cricket’s most endearing personalities both on and off the field.
A Ryde medallist during his college years, Sangakkara started out as a pure batsman but subsequently started keeping wickets. He made his domestic debut for Nondescripts at the age of 20 and was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. Even as a youngster, Sangakkara was gifted with exemplary temperament and was highly rated for his lucid style of batting. Within two years of his domestic debut, he made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in a triangular tournament which involved South Africa. He scored 35 in the match and also gloved a catch. He carried on from his debut to have a brilliant series averaging 66.33 and affecting 7 dismissals. His performances were rewarded with a Test callup against South Africa, a series in which he performed admirably behind the stumps. With a string of impressive performances in Tests and ODI’s, Sangakkara gradually displaced one of Sri Lanka’s greatest wicket- keepers Romesh Kaluwitharana and cemented himself in Sri Lanka’s squad.
As a batsman, Sangakkara is a connoisseur’s delight. He is a good player of both fast and spin bowling and is known to revel in difficult situations. His favourite shot is square of the wicket on the off side and he is also a very good puller of the ball. He also has amazing levels of concentration and is known to score big once he reaches a hundred. He is the joint holder of the world record partnership in tests. With the experience of playing under several captains during his career, Sangakkara displays great maturity while leading his side and is known to back youngsters to the hilt. His multilingual abilities also make him a hit in the diverse Sri Lankan dressing room. He was Kings XI Punjab skipper in the 2010 IPL season. He has given up his gloves in the Test arena to concentrate on batting and captaincy and the move has paid off as he averages astonishingly above 70 as a non wicket-keeper. With his best years ahead of him, Sangakkara is destined to only get better with time. With the WC looming large, Sri Lanka will be banking on Sangakkara to hit a high note and hopefully repeat the heroics of the legendary Arjuna Ranatunga.
Fast Facts
He holds the Sri Lankan record of most number of dismissals affected by a wicket-keeper in Tests, ODI’s and T20’s.
He is 3rd on the all time list of number of dismissals affected by a keeper in ODI’s.
He holds the record for fastest to reach 8000 runs in test cricket, a feat which he achieved in just 152 innings.
He is currently Sri Lanka’s 2nd highest run getter in Tests and 5th in ODI’s.
He is ranked 6th on ICC’s all time Test batting ranks.
He has scored a century against every test playing nation.
His 230 against Pakistan in 2002 is the second highest score for a wicket-keeper batsman in Tests.
He shares Sri Lanka’s 2nd highest partnership of 438 with Atapattu against Zimbabwe in 2004.
He was selected as the World XI's wicket-keeper in 2005 Super Series in Australia.
He holds the world record partnership of 624 with Mahela Jayawardena against South Africa in 2006 at Colombo.
He is only the sixth man in history to score back to back double centuries, a feat which he achieved against Bangladesh in 2007.
In 2007, Sangakkara became the first batsman to ever to make single innings scores in excess of a 150 or more in four consecutive test matches.
He was named as ‘Test Batsman of the Year’ in Sri Lanka’s inaugural cricket awards.
His 222 in a single day is the Sri Lankan Test record of most runs in a day.
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara sledging Shaun Pollock
Kumar Sangakkara
No comments:
Post a Comment