Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara, an elegant stroke player, a reliable keeper, an astute thinker, was the cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket for close to 15 years. After playing close to 500 international games for his country, the all-time great cricketer played his final game in a Test against India at Colombo (PSS) in 2015.

Sangakkara's arrival on the cricket scene was sensational. A blistering 156 against Zimbabwe A in 2000 was enough to convince the selectors of his ability. Rewarded with a place in the one-day squad at the age of only 22, he won his first Man of the Match award in his second game. He scored his maiden Test century in his tenth Test after missing out twice before by getting out in the 90s. His batting was bordered by a temperament beyond his age.

Sangakkara reached the peak of his prowess under the leadership of his good mate Mahela Jayawardene, having a prolific run in both forms of the game. His compiled a monumental 287 in the company of Mahela as the duo put on 624, and sucked the life out of the South African bowling attack, while rewriting First-Class cricket record books. His counter-attacking century on a green pitch in Wellington in 2006-07 showed his class as a batsman.

His memorable 192 in Hobart against Australia in 2007, yet again proved that he is the mainstay of the Sri Lankan batting line-up. Part of the modern generation of wicket keeper-batsmen, Sangakkara's versatility is the prime reason for his side's success. His top-notch displays are reflected in the fact that he topped the ICC test rankings towards the end of 2007, and was included in the ICC World ODI XI in 2005 and the World Test Team in 2006.

He is one of the few batsmen who owns the stupendous record of amassing 10,000-plus runs in both Tests and ODIs. He led the Hyderabad franchise for 3 years (2011- 2013), but had to pave way for Cameron White in the 2013.

Arguably, Sangakkara was instrumental in helping Sri Lanka achieve balance in their playing eleven. Given the responsibility of leading the national side after the resignation of Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakarra had a pivotal role in giving direction to Sri Lankan cricket.

The advent of leadership catapulted his powers even further. Sangakkara enjoyed a great deal of success at the helm, leading Sri Lanka to wins in the tri-series in Bangladesh and defeating Asian-rivals, India. He also guided Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final. However, he stepped down from captaincy, following the agonizing loss in the final, realising the importance of ushering in the new age of Sri Lankan cricket aside from sharpening his own batsmanship. The same year, he was adjudged the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.

He confirmed his place in the pantheon of greats when he became the joint-fastest to scale 10,000 Test runs alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Second only to Sir Don Bradman in the list of double centuries, Sanga's monstrous appetite for runs grew with every passing game. In the company of Jaywardene, he inspired Sri Lanka to be a force to reckon with, even in overseas conditions. In the holy quartet of Sri Lankan cricket, if Arjuna Ranatunga was the creator, Sanath Jayasurya the destroyer, then Sanga and Mahela will be fondly remembered as the protectors.

Embarking upon a new era, Sangakkara endorsed his succession into the creator's shoes when he was at the forefront of Sri Lanka's memorable World T20 win in Bangladesh in April 2014. In a tense final, his unbeaten fifty shepherded Sri Lanka to the title to break the 'final vodoo' as they tasted their first major World event triumph since 1996. Aptly, Sangakkara and Mahela, bade farewell to T20I cricket with that title.

During the England series in Nov-Dec 2014, Sangakkara completed 13,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the fourth player to achieve this feat. He scored four consecutive half-centuries followed by a century in the series. In December, he also became the second Sri Lankan to compile 20 centuries in that format. On December 16, 2014, he played his final ODI on home soil and scored 33. He amassed 2868 runs in 2014, the most runs aggregated when we consider all formats of the game in a calendar year.

On January 4, 2015, in a Test against New Zealand, Sangakkara scored his 11th double ton. Only Sir Don Bradman with 12 double tons is ahead of him in that regard. He also surpassed 12,000 runs in Test cricket. Two weeks later, Sangakkara became the third highest run-scorer in ODIs, surpassing Jayasuriya. He also signed a two-year deal with Surrey at the start of 2015.

Sangakkara was in supreme form in the World Cup held in Australia. He amassed over 500 runs which included four centuries to his name. He became the first batsman to compose four tons in a single World Cup. After the World Cup, he hung up his spiked boots from ODIs. But continued to play in Tests until the series against against India in 2015. In his last Test at Colombo (PSS), he was given a guard of honour, when he walked out to bat by India's cricketers.

As much as he is stylish with the bat on the field, he is equally intelligent and effective off it. In an eloquent speech in 2011 at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Colin Cowdrey Lecture in Lord's, Sangakkara challenged Sri Lankan cricket's political establishment. He possesses a degree in law and is also known to be a voracious reader. Kumar Sangakkara is a complete person in the truest sense of the word.

Lesser known facts about Sangakkara:

1. Sangakkara became the youngest person to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture at Lord's.

2. Sangakkara is the partner of Foundation of Goodness, a charity launched by former team-mate and close friend, Muttiah Muralitharan.

3. He represented Sri Lanka Schools in Tennis before switching to the gentleman's game.

By Cricbuzz staff