Sanga the well rounded, superb cricketer, says adios
View(s):To my eyes, willpower was Kumar Sangakkara’s greatest weapon. The will to prevail, and score runs again and again was very high in his agenda. Courage was not far behind as was evident in his 11 double centuries (the most number scored next to the late great Sir Donald Bradman).
Departing Lankan cricket icon Kumar Sangakkara was presented with a special memento by Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC at the farewell ceremony jointly organised by Sri Lanka Cricket and national team sponsor, Dialog Axiata PLC.
It was a joy for the cricket fans to see the sight of reliable Sanga walking out to take on all comers on all pitches. At the crease he depicted nonchalance coupled with arrogance his body poised as if its shape has been sculptured, with his left elbow religiously pointing to the sky. His movements were sharp and defined. His cover driving with a bended knee was clear testimony.
He was not a natural genius like Aravinda de Silva, he was dedicated to tightening his technique, batting and batting at the NCC nets and honing his skills which paid rich dividends and the run harvest he obtained made him the fifth highest run scorer in Test history. However in his early days, he used to waft outside the off stump, this temptation could have been due to him reading “Oscar Wilde” who once said that “he could resist anything but temptation”.
Next to Arjuna Ranatunga, Kumar Sangakkara is the most respected cricketer amongst the Sri Lankan cricket fans; his name evokes the image of a man refusing to give in, a man who will not be intimidated by an opponent or daunted by any situation.
Kumar Sangakkara has been a magnificent servant and it is up to his successors to match his unfailing dedication and commitment to the cause. Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal are the ones to take the baton, the latter showed us that he could turn a match on its head by winning the first test match with a belligerent knock of 162 n.o., Angelo Mathews is a world class all-rounder who also got a hundred a few days ago, and with his captaincy duties he has fared well thus far, these two are the only batsmen who could fill the void created by Kumar Sangakkara and another great Mahela Jayawardene. Beyond Angelo and Dinesh there is hardly anyone who could put their hands up. Kusal Janith Perera if he could curb his audacious strokes could fit the bill. Dhananjaya de Silva is another emerging talent, who could be thrown into the deep end, because from the brief glimpse I had of him he looks composed and possesses the big match temperament and he was the outstanding batsman in the Sri Lanka ”A’ team apart from Kusal Janith.
To conclude Kumar Sangakkara has been a magnificent servant to the country cricket wise and it is up to his successors to match his unfailing dedication and to add a little something of their own.
Doubtless, someone, will one day, make sense of all the shenanigans of the past few days.Let us not get bogged down in all that, it was the right time to go, according to Sanga, while people still thought of him fondly and respectfully.This way, whenever Sri Lanka is in trouble, fans will sigh and say, “If only Sanga was the next man in “.
Thilak de Silva
Nugegoda