Sri Lankan cricketer (born )
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (Sinhala: කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October ) is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from to A former captain in all formats. He was born in Matale, Central Province. In first-class cricket, he played for Nondescripts Cricket Club from –98 to –14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from to Sangakkara is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He was a key part of the Sri Lankan squads which won the Asian Test Championship, ICC Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup.
Sangakkara played mostly as a wicket-keeper-batter and is generally regarded as one of the greatest wicket-keeper-batters in cricket history.[1] His 38 Test centuries and 25 in ODIs are both highest for a wicket-keeper. He batted left-handed and, although he rarely bowled, was a right-arm off spinner. In all three forms of international cricket, Sangakkara is the second-highest run-scorer, having amassed a total of 28, including 63 centuries.[2]
Since retirement, he has worked as a commentator for Sky Sports and served as President of the MCC from October to September In January , Sangakkara also became the coach of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League from Kumar Sangakkara has been appointed as the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in June , the second Sri Lankan player to be inducted after Muttiah Muralitharan.
He has recently come out of retirement to play for Dorset Division 3 side Shillingstone CC. He bats at 5 after claiming he is "untested at this level".
Kumar Sangakkara was born in Matale, Central Province, on 27 October [3] He is the fourth and youngest child of Kshema, a civil lawyer, and Kumari Sangakkara. Kumar was brought up in the family home near Kandy.[4] His father was very keen on sport and would daily spend hours coaching his children.[5]
Sangakkara's childhood, youth and most of his cricket career were set against the background of the ruinous Sri Lankan Civil War (–) between the Tamil militants (mainly the Tamil Tigers) and the government of Sri Lanka. It is generally held that the war began with the Black July riots in [6] During Black July, Sangakkara's parents offered shelter to Tamil families, whom six-year-old Kumar viewed as his friends.[5]
He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy. Musically talented, he was a chorister and played the violin.[4] He excelled in several sports and his mother Kumari wanted him to concentrate on his best one. The choice was between cricket and tennis. Kumari sought the advice of college principal Leonard de Alwis, who said Kumar should focus on cricket.[7] The Sangakkaras are a sporting family and Kumar's three elder siblings all excelled in sports at Trinity. His two sisters, Thushari and Saranga, played basketball and tennis respectively, both at representative level. Saranga won a national tennis championship. Kumar's elder brother Vemindra represented the college in both cricket and badminton.[8]
Sangakkara represented his school's Under, under, under, and first XI teams.[8] In August , when he was 16, he went to Kuala Lumpur with Sri Lanka's national under team and played in two one-day matches against Bangladesh unders. Even so, he modestly described himself as a "run-of-the-mill" cricketer while he was at school, but he said facing real competition at Nondescripts Cricket Club spurred him on to improve his game and strive to reach a high standard.[9] Academically successful, he was the school's Senior Prefect (Head Boy) and received its Trinity Lion and Ryde Gold Medal awards. He passed the Advance Level Examination and gained entry to the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo. However, he had to indefinitely postpone his law degree due to his cricketing commitments; he said in that he would consider finishing it after his cricket career ended.[10]
After he entered the University of Colombo in , Sangakkara joined Nondescripts who were one of the city's most notable clubs and he spent most of his domestic career, until , with them.[3] Having played for Sri Lanka unders while he was still at school, he made further appearances for the team in the –97 season. In February , he played in three Under Tests against the touring India under team, though he did not keep wicket. In the second match, he was run out for 96 in Sri Lanka's first innings.[11] In March, he played in three Under One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against India unders.[12]
Sangakkara began his professional career in the –98 season when he was 20 years old. He made his List A debut on 28 December in a over match, playing for Nondescripts against Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The match was a Hatna Trophy semi-final which Nondescripts won by 71 runs. Sangakkara scored 18 in a total of [13] Nondescripts went on to win the tournament, defeating Tamil Union by 5 wickets in the final.[14]
Soon afterwards, on 9 January , he made his first-class debut in a Saravanamuttu Trophy match, also against Bloomfield C&A, at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo. This was a three-day national championship match which ended in a draw. Sangakkara kept wicket and was seventh in the Nondescripts batting order. He held three catches and, in his only innings, scored six runs.[15] He played in six championship matches that season.[16] Nondescripts finished third in Group A of the competition and marginally failed to gain a place in the play-offs.[17]
In the –99 season, the Saravanamuttu Trophy was rebranded as the Premier Championship and Sangakkara played in fourteen matches from January to June He had only moderate success as a batter, scoring runs with a highest innings of 55; but he made his mark as a wicket-keeper by completing 33 dismissals (32 catches and one stumping).[18] The two group system was abandoned and the championship became a straight league competition in which the sixteen teams played each other once. Nondescripts, with four wins in their fifteen matches, finished fifth.[19] During the season, Sangakkara played in five one-day matches for Sri Lanka B in a triangular tournament with Sri Lanka A and the English team Leicestershire, who were on tour.[20]
In November , Sangakkara was selected for the Sri Lanka A team's tour of South Africa. It was at this point that he decided to abandon his degree course and leave university.[4] On the tour, he played in three limited overs and two first-class matches against South Africa A, his best performance being an innings of 89 in one of the limited overs games.[21] On 20 May , playing in a limited overs match for Sri Lanka A against the touring Zimbabwe A at the De Soysa Stadium in Moratuwa, Sangakkara played an outstanding innings of not out, which helped him to obtain a place in Sri Lanka's national team two months later.[4][22]
He played in seven Premier Championship matches for Nondescripts in –, but the team had a poor season. The two groups format was revived with Nondescripts in Group A and finishing fifth.[23] Nondescripts played in Group B of the Premier Limited Overs Tournament but they again disappointed and did not qualify for the play-offs.[24]
In July , Sri Lanka hosted the Singer Triangular Series between themselves, Pakistan, and South Africa. The teams played each other twice in a round-robin league format and the top two, South Africa and Sri Lanka, qualified for the final which Sri Lanka won by 30 runs.[25] Sangakkara made his One Day International (ODI) debut in the opening match when Sri Lanka played Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium on 5 July. Pakistan batted first and scored /8 from their 45 overs (reduced from 50 because of a delay caused by bad weather). Sangakkara kept wicket and made an important contribution when he caught Mohammad Yousuf off Nuwan Zoysa for a first-ball "duck". Sri Lanka needed only overs to score /5 and win the match by five wickets with 45 balls in hand. Sangakkara was fifth in the batting order and made 35 before he was run out by Imran Nazir at /4.[26] ESPN's cricket writer Charlie Austin wondered if Sangakkara had "the head for international cricket and also the technique". He was impressed enough to describe Sangakkara as "a down to earth man, both intelligent and mature, who was unfazed by the situation and was immediately off the mark with a fluid square drive".[27]
In the second match, when Sri Lanka played South Africa at Galle on 6 July, Sangakkara was voted Man of the Match after he scored 85 before again being run out, this time by Makhaya Ntini. He shared a fifth wicket partnership of with Russel Arnold (59 not out) and Sri Lanka totalled /7 in their 50 overs. South Africa were all out for , Sangakkara catching Jonty Rhodes off his first ball, and Sri Lanka won by 37 runs.[28]
Sangakkara played in all five of Sri Lanka's matches in the tournament, dismissing seven batters (3 caught, 4 stumped) and scoring runs at to secure his place in the upcoming Test series against South Africa.[29]
He made his Test debut at Galle on 20–23 July in the first match of the three-match series. Sri Lanka won by an innings and 15 runs. In his team's only innings, Sangakkara was fifth in the batting order and had scored 23 when he was dismissed leg before wicket (lbw) by Nicky Boje. Sri Lanka totalled and then bowled South Africa out for and to win with a day to spare. Sangakkara kept wicket and held two catches to dismiss Gary Kirsten in the first innings and Lance Klusener in the second. Both catches were off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan who took 13 wickets in the match. Sangakkara also dismissed Kirsten in the second innings when he took a throw from Chaminda Vaas to complete a run out.[30]
Nondescripts won the Premier Championship in –01 but Sangakkara missed most of their matches due to international commitments. In October , he travelled to Nairobi and Sharjah for two limited overs competitions.[31] Sri Lanka reached the final of the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy in Sharjah and defeated India by runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored /5 in their 50 overs. Sangakkara was bowled for 8 by Sachin Tendulkar. India collapsed and were all out for 54 in just 26 overs, Sangakkara completing two dismissals (a catch and a run out).[32]
From November to February , he was on overseas tours with Sri Lanka who visited South Africa and New Zealand. In South Africa, he played in three Tests and six ODIs as well as some matches against provincial teams; Sri Lanka were heavily beaten in both series.[citation needed]On the second tour, Sri Lanka played ODIs only against New Zealand and Sangakkara played in all five; Sri Lanka won the series 4–1. Returning home, he played in three Tests and three ODIs against England, who toured Sri Lanka in February and March [citation needed] England won the Test series 2–1 and Sri Lanka won the ODI series 3–0. The second Test, played at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, was highly controversial because of incompetent umpiring by B. C. Cooray whose errors probably cost Sri Lanka the match and the series. One of the consequences was bad feeling between the players and Sangakkara became involved in a heated argument with Michael Atherton, who was seen to be wagging a finger at him. When asked about it afterwards, Atherton alleged that Sangakkara had called the England team "cheats".[33]
The Premier Championship was re-vamped again so that the top four teams in each of Groups A and B formed a Super League. In this, the eight teams played each other once. Winning teams were awarded twelve points and there were also bonus points for achieving batting and bowling targets. Crucially for Nondescripts, the team with the highest first innings total in a drawn match was awarded eight points. Nondescripts, who had finished second in Group B, won only one Super League match while runners-up Burgher Recreation Club won three; and Burgher had a slight advantage in bonus points gained. What made the difference was that Burgher drew their other four games but led on first innings in only one of them, so their total was 44 plus bonuses. Nondescripts drew their other six games and, in all of them including the one against Burgher, were ahead on first innings for a points total of 60 plus bonuses.[34] Sangakkara was only available for the last two matches including the decisive one against Burgher, although he made little impact. Playing as a specialist batter, he scored only 6 in his one innings. Nondescripts scored and then bowled Burgher out for to claim the first innings points. Burgher followed on and were 79/7 when the match ended in a draw.[35] In the final round of matches, Nondescripts met Colombo Cricket Club while Burgher played Tamil Union. Nondescripts were eight points ahead of Burgher and knew they must gain first innings points at least. Sangakkara again made little impact. After Colombo had been dismissed for , he opened the innings and was out for Nondescripts were dismissed for and so, unable to claim first innings points, they had to win the match to remain top of the league. In the second innings, Colombo collapsed and were all out for after off spinner Ruwan Kalpage took a career-best 7/ Sangakkara scored only 14 and Nondescripts struggled, but they managed to reach /7 and win by three wickets.[36] As things turned out, Nondescripts could have lost to Colombo and still won the title because Burgher drew with Tamil Union and were behind on first innings.[37]
Nondescripts won the Premier Limited Overs Tournament in –02 but, as before, Sangakkara's involvement was limited by his international commitments. The only match he played in was the final at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on 19 January Nondescripts defeated Tamil Union by 44 runs. Batting third, Sangakkara scored 98 at exactly one run per ball. He shared a second wicket partnership of with Aravinda de Silva (65) and Nondescripts totalled /8 from their 50 overs. Tamil Union were all out for [38] Seeking to defend their Premier Championship title, Nondescripts reached the play-off semi-final but lost to Colts by 2 wickets; Sangakkara scored 20 and [39]
Sri Lanka hosted three three-match Test series from August to January The visitors were India in August, West Indies in November and December, and Zimbabwe in December and January. Sri Lanka also took part in the –02 Asian Test Championship.[16]
In his first-class career to date, Sangakkara had been dismissed in the nineties three times, twice in Test matches. In the first Test against India at Galle, he scored not out and helped his team to a ten-wicket victory.[40] He scored his second century in the first Test against West Indies, also at Galle, in November. West Indies batted first and scored , largely due to an innings of by Brian Lara which ended when Sangakkara caught him behind off the bowling of Muralitharan. Sri Lanka replied with /9 declared. Sangakkara made their top score of before he was run out. He shared a third wicket partnership of with Mahela Jayawardene (99), a forerunner of things to come. West Indies collapsed in their second innings and were all out for , Sri Lanka needing only six runs to win by 10 wickets.[41]
India had withdrawn from the Asian Test Championship for political reasons but Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka continued. The latter two contested the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in March and Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets after Sangakkara scored his first double-century with an innings of Pakistan batted first, totalling , and Sri Lanka replied with Sangakkara and Jaywardene (68) added for the third wicket. Pakistan were all out for in their second innings, and Sri Lanka needed only 32 to win. Sangakkara was named Player of the Match.[42]
By now an established member of the international team, Sangakkara continued to play mostly for Sri Lanka and travelled worldwide during this period. He toured England in both and In between those tours, Sri Lanka played series in each of Australia (3), Bangladesh, India, New Zealand (2), Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. They hosted home series against Australia, Bangladesh (2), England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and West Indies. They were in Kenya and South Africa for the Cricket World Cup, reaching the semi-finals, and hosted the Asia Cup, which they won.[18]
In domestic cricket, Nondescripts were unable to challenge for further trophies after their successes in and In –04, Sangakkara played in five Premier Championship matches and eight Premier Limited Overs Tournament matches, including the semi-final against Bloomfield, but that was the last season in which he was able to make more than a handful of appearances for them.[18] Apart from and when he was playing regular first-class cricket in England for Surrey, –04 was the only season in which Sangakkara achieved the target of a thousand runs. He played in sixteen matches and scored 1, runs at per completed innings with three centuries and eight fifties. His highest score was He also completed 55 dismissals, by far his highest season total, with 43 catches and 12 stumpings.[18]
Twenty20 (T20) was introduced to Sri Lanka on 17 August when the first round of the SLC Twenty20 Tournament was played. There were eight matches that day and a total of players, including Sangakkara, made their T20 debuts.[43] Sangakkara played for Nondescripts against Tamil Union at the Moors Sports Club Ground in Colombo. Batting third, he scored 39 off 21 balls as Nondescripts won by 17 runs.[44] Nondescripts then played Colts at the R. Premadasa Stadium in the quarter-final but lost by 4 wickets; Sangakkara again scored [45]
He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut on 15 June when Sri Lanka played England at the Rose Bowl, near Southampton. The match was Sri Lanka's first-ever T20I but the team acquitted themselves well to win by 2 runs. They won the toss and, batting first, were all out for (their last wicket fell to the final ball of the innings). Sangakkara came in fifth and hit 21 from 14 deliveries before he was caught by Andrew Strauss. He kept wicket as England replied and completed a catch and a run out. England were /5 when their innings closed.[46] Sangakkara's run out of Marcus Trescothick was a key moment in the match as Trescothick had scored 72 and the match seemed to be going England's way. They needed twelve runs from eight balls after he was out and then needed nine from the 20th over bowled by Dilhara Fernando, who restricted them to six.[47]
He made a poor return in his six first-class matches on this tour with only runs at
Sangakkara and Jayawardene set the world record in both Test and first-class cricket for the highest partnership between two batters for any wicket. This was their stand of for the third wicket in the first Test against South Africa in Sangakkara scored and Jayawardene The partnership is the only one to exceed for any wicket in first-class history[48] In addition, Sangakkara and Jayawardene hold the record for the highest partnership ( for the 2nd wicket) for any wicket in ICC World T20 history.[49]
Sangakkara played English county cricket with Warwickshire in the County Championship. In , Sangakkara was contracted to represent Lancashire in the County Championship,[50] but never represented the club because of international commitments.[51] For the and seasons, Sangakkara was contracted to play for Surrey.[52] After his international retirement, Sangakkara continued to play for Surrey and in scored his th century in all formats of the game combined on 13 June [53]
When Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh in February regular captain Marvan Atapattu was injured and Mahela Jayawardene became captain while Sangakkara was made vice-captain.[54] Pakistan toured Sri Lanka for two Test and three ODIs in March , and with Atapattu still injured Jayawardene and Sangakkara remained captain and vice-captain respectively.[55] The pair had only expected to hold the positions on an interim basis, but extended into a third series as Atapattu failed to recover in time to tour England in April and ended up filling the roles full-time.[56] In July , Sangakkara made his second-highest Test score to-date () against South Africa. In a record-breaking partnership with Mahela Jayawardene, he set up the world record for the highest partnership in Test cricket— runs—in this match.[57]
By this time, Sangakkara was effectively playing as a specialist batter in Test cricket, his wicket-keeping duties having been handed over to Prasanna Jayawardene. Sangakkara continued to play as a wicket-keeper-batter in the limited overs forms.[citation needed]
On 6 December he made it to the top spot of ICC Test player rankings with a rating of , the highest rating ever achieved by a Sri Lankan player, and became the first batsman ever to score in excess of in four consecutive tests.[citation needed] His skill was recognised worldwide when he earned selection for the ICC World XI One-Day International team that competed against Australia in the Johnnie Walker Series in October Despite the World XI losing all of the one-day games by considerable margins, Sangakkara left the series with some credit, averaging He was one of the winners of the inaugural ESPNcricinfo awards for outstanding batting in Test cricket.[58] He was once again named in the World Test XI by the ICC in [59]
Sangakkara holds the record for being the fastest man to 8,, 9,, 10, (jointly held), 11, and 12, runs in Test cricket. During Sri Lanka's tour to England in May , he was named the vice-captain of the side. On 3 March , a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team convoy in Pakistan injured 6 Sri Lankan players including Sangakkara. Sangakkara suffered shrapnel wounds in his shoulder.[60] In November , Sangakkara was included in the ICC World XI Test team. Next year, he signed an agreement to join Warwickshire County Cricket Club.[61] That year, he scored back-to-back double centuries in Tests and became only the fifth cricketer in the history to do so.[62]
Sangakkara was in the Sri Lanka teams which reached the finals of the Cricket World Cup, the Cricket World Cup, the ICC World Twenty20 and the ICC World Twenty[citation needed] He won several awards including:
Source:[3]
Sangakkara has played in five seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Winning bids for him in and were US$, by Kings XI Punjab and US$, by Deccan Chargers, respectively. He was the captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. Sangakkara has scored runs with 10 half-centuries in 62 matches in IPL.[63]
In January , Sangakkara was named the director of cricket of Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL , and subsequently the team's head coach. With Rajasthan, he played a crucial role in leading them to the Indian Premier League final.
In the Sri Lanka Premier League which officially started in , Sangakkara was named the captain and icon player of the Kandurata Warriors franchise. Unfortunately, he couldn't participate as a player in the inaugural edition in as he suffered a finger injury weeks before the tournament during a One Day International against India. However, he appeared as a television commentator during some matches.
On 18 August , Sangakkarra joined the Jamaica Tallawahs of the Caribbean Premier League.[64]
In February , the then captain of the Sri Lankan side, Mahela Jayawardene announced that he would step down from the captaincy "in the best interests of the Sri Lankan team". He said he believed that it would give his successor around two years to build up to the Cricket World Cup.[68] Therefore, at the age of 31 and with the experience of 80&#;Tests and &#;ODIs, Sangakkara succeeded Jayawardene as Sri Lanka's captain in all formats of the game. His first engagement in the role was the ICC World Twenty20 hosted by England in June.[69] Sri Lanka became runners-up in the series after winning all the game in group and knock-out stages and being defeated by Pakistan in the final. Sangakkara made 64 not-out in the final, but was unable to take Sri Lanka for the championship.[70] He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo for the T20I World Cup.[70]
Sri Lanka failed to reach to the knock-out stage of the ICC Champions Trophy in September The next Indian tour proved to be disastrous for the team, with Sri Lanka being beaten by India in Test series 2–0 and ODI series 3–1.
Sri Lankan team under the captaincy of Sangakkara gained momentum and won the next Tri-series in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, beating India as well. The Sri Lankans' tour of Australia proved to be very successful, in winning both the T20 and ODI series. This was Sri Lanka's first ever series victory in Australia.[71]
A month in advance of the World Cup in March, Sangakkara decided that he would resign the captaincy after the tournament.[72] Sri Lanka reached the final of the tournament.[73] Throughout the tournament Sangakkara was in prolific form with the bat scoring runs from 9 matches and was the third highest run-scorer behind teammate Tillakaratne Dilshan and India's Sachin Tendulkar. He was named as captain and wicket-keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' for the World Cup by the ICC.[74] He was also named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo.[75] During the final, loud crowd noise prevented match referee Jeff Crowe from hearing Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara's call as the coin was tossed by Indian captain Dhoni. The toss had to be redone – an extremely unusual event, especially at as prominent an event as the World Cup final.[76] He also criticised the decision of ICC in its attempt to tweak and alter the metre rule while a tournament was in progress.[77]
Days after guiding Sri Lanka to the finals of the World Cup, Sangakkara announced to the public he was stepping down as captain of the T20 and ODI teams. He offered to continue as Test captain if deemed necessary for transition to new skipper,[78] but Dilshan was appointed captain across all formats.[79] Reflecting on the decision afterwards, he said that "captaining Sri Lanka is a job that ages you very quickly&#; It's rarely a job you will last long in&#; I also had a two-year stint, and I enjoyed it at times, certainly on the field where our results showed we were one of the top two sides in the world for one-and-a-half years, especially in the shorter form of the game."[72]
The same year, he was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards ceremony.[80] In , he was honoured as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.[4]
See also: List of batsmen who have scored over One Day International cricket runs
Sri Lanka's first fixture after the World Cup was a Sri Lanka tour of England in beginning in May. During the second match of a three Test series Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sangakkara's successor as captain, suffered a broken thumb. Sangakkara filled in while Dilshan was off the pitch and formally assumed the captaincy for the final Test.[81] The match ended in a draw and the series ended in a 1–0 victory for England; Sangakarra scored a century in the match, his first against England in nine Tests.[82]
Sangakkara was named the man of the series in Test series with Pakistan in /12—his first man of the series award in Test cricket. He made runs in the 3 match series which was won by Pakistan 1–0.[83] On August in , he was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year, wicket-keeper-captain of the ICC World XI Test team, and won the ICC People's Choice Award in the ICC Awards.[80] In , he was named one of the Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.[4] He was also named as captain and wicket-keeper of the World Test XI by the ICC[84] and named in the World Test XI and ODI XI.[85][86]
In , Sangakkara received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy having been elected ICC Cricketer of the Year.[87] For his achievements in , he was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[4] In the same edition, he was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World and he won this award again in the edition for his achievements in ,[88][89] the first player to win the award twice (subsequently, Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes have won it three times each).[90]
Sangakkara struggled with his form when England toured Sri Lanka in He failed to score a half century during The Two Test match series. But he regained his form in the ODI series against Pakistan where his batting score reached the 90s. In the Test series that followed, Sangakkara continued his form with a , the scoreboard originally said he had scored the double century but it turned out to be a mistake. Sri Lanka later won the Test match. He followed this up with in the same game, again missing out on the double century. The next two matches were drawn, which meant Sri Lanka won the series 1–0. This was their first time winning a Test series since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan.
On the Sri Lankan tour of Bangladesh in , Sangakkara hit his highest test score to date with in the first innings of the second test.[95] Making him only the third Sri Lankan player to hit a triple century after Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene. He followed his triple century with a knock of in the 2nd innings and the game finished as a draw. He continued his good batting run with another century in the 2nd ODI.
Along with teammate Mahela Jayawardene, he recorded the most partnership runs for the 3rd wicket in Test history, scoring runs surpassing the runs of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, during the first Test match against Pakistan at Galle International Stadium. The two also hold the record for the highest partnership for any wicket in Test matches, scoring runs for the 3rd wicket against South Africa in July [57] This still stands as the largest partnership for any wicket in first-class cricket, anywhere.[96]
His impressive form with the bat continued at the Asia Cup where he amassed a total of runs in five innings. He started the tournament with a 63 against Pakistan before hitting a match winning against India. He then added scores of 77 and 2 against Afghanistan and Bangladesh before being dismissed for a golden duck in the final against Pakistan. Sri Lanka went on to win the game and the tournament.[97]
In , he was signed by Dhaka Dynamites for the –16 Bangladesh Premier League.[98] He was the leading run scorer of that season, scoring runs in 10 matches.[99] He was retained by Dhaka Dynamites for the –17 Bangladesh Premier League.
In , Sangakkara joined the Quetta Gladiators of the Pakistan Super League. He was later released by the franchise and was picked by Karachi Kings as captain for the edition. Under his captaincy team reached play-offs.[] The following year, in the 3rd edition of PSL, Sangakkara was picked by Multan Sultans.
Before Sri Lanka's Test series against England in , Sangakkara returned to county cricket, playing two matches for Durham,[] which included against Sussex in his final innings. On 16 January , it was announced that he would be joining Surrey on a two-year contract.[] Sangakkara scored a brilliant century against Glamorgan, where he scored runs, which was his maiden century for Surrey in this county season. After the match, he said that he was willing to see the comeback of English batsman Kevin Pietersen to international cricket.[][]
Sangakkara represented Surrey from till , helping them win Division Two of LV= County Championship and gaining promotion to Division One for the Specsavers County Championship season. Surrey also reached the finals of Royal London One-Day Cup before losing by six runs to Gloucestershire.
On 22 May , Sangakkara announced that the following season would be his last in first-class cricket.[] He made the announcement after scoring four consecutive centuries becoming the fourth Surrey batsman to achieve this feat (Ian Ward was the last to do it in ), pass 20, first-class and having scored runs in the said four games. He scored the fifth consecutive century on 26 May against Essex at the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford.[] becoming only the eighth player to achieve this feat.[] In the quarter-final of the Royal London One-Day Cup against Yorkshire, he scored from as many balls, which became his th century in all formats of the game combined, that now included 61 in first-class and 39 in List A games.[] Sangakkara became the first batsman to reach 1, runs for the season when he brought up his sixth century for the season against Yorkshire.[]
On the MCC tour of Pakistan, with all matches played in Lahore, Sangakkara played in all matches, registering 25 runs in the first T20 match with 1 catch behind the stumps, 3 runs in the only LA game (where he did not keep wicket), 1 catch behind the stumps and 10 with the bat in the second T20, and 52 and 1 catch keeping wicket in the third and tour-ending T20, giving him a total of 3 dismissals credited to his name and 90 runs in total on the tour, giving him a T20 average of 30 and a tour average of
Sangakkara, though retired from international cricket, participated in the Cricket All-Stars Series for Warne's Warriors under Shane Warne's captaincy. In the three T20 matches, he scored runs, more than any other cricketer in the series, and included one fifty.[] His average in the series was He also hit the most fours and sixes, 12 apiece. For his overall performance, Sangakkara was judged player of the series.[][][]
Sangakkara also played for Gemini Arabians in the first edition of Masters Champions League T20 tournament which took place in the UAE. In the first match against Gemini and Libra Legends, Sangakkara scored 86 runs from just 43 balls and helped the team post a huge total of runs in their allotted 20 overs. Libra Legends only scored in their 20 overs and thus Gemini Arabians won the match courtesy of Sangakkara's knock. Sangakkara was also awarded man of the match.[][][] Sangakkara scored four consecutive fifties (65, 51, 51, 62) in the other matches played during the series, this secured a place in the final for the Arabians. In the final against Leo Lions, he scored 30 runs to become top run scorer of the series. His team won the series and remained undefeated throughout the tournament. Sangakkara won player of the series for his runs with 5 fifties.[]
Sangakkara won the Man of the Match award in the ICC World Twenty20 Final[citation needed] and was part of the Sri Lankan team who won the ICC World Twenty He decided to retire from T20 internationals after playing in that tournament and, afterwards, Jayawardene followed him into retirement. Sangakkara under-performed in the World T20 until, in the final against India, he scored 51 not out off 33 balls and help his team win their second ICC trophy since [citation needed]
Sri Lanka played their first 7-match ODI series at home, against England, from 26 November to 16 December On 3 December Sangakkara reached 13, runs in One-day internationals in the third match of the series at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota, and became the fourth player in One-day history to achieve the feat after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya. He also became the second most prolific half-century maker in One-day internationals during this match. He scored 4 consecutive half-centuries followed by a century. On 13 December , he scored his 20th ODI century, becoming the second Sri Lankan to score 20 ODI centuries, after 28 by Sanath Jayasuriya, and 9th overall to do so. He also took 4 catches as a wicket-keeper in this match taking the player of the match award.[] This match was his last match in his hometown due to his retirement from the ODI arena after the Cricket World Cup.
His last One-day innings in Sri Lanka was played on 13 December in the last match of the England ODI series. He was caught while on 33 in his last innings on home soil.[]
On 4 January , Sangakkara scored his 38th test century by making against New Zealand during the second match of the 2 Test match series.[] With this feat, he is only one short to become the highest double-century maker in test history. He has 11 test double centuries, only one short of 12 double centuries by Don Bradman.[] He also surpassed 12, runs in Test cricket, becoming the first Sri Lankan and 5th overall cricketer to achieve that mark.[]
On 14 February , Sangakkara became the second highest run scorer in One-Day International history, by surpassing Australian Ricky Ponting. He achieved this milestone during the first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup against New Zealand, but Sri Lanka lost the match.[]
On 26 February in the ICC Cricket World Cup against Bangladesh, Sangakkara scored his 22nd ODI century in his th appearance in One-Day Internationals. The * second wicket partnership between Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan on that day was broken again on 1 March , in the next group match in World Cup against England, where Sangakkara joined Lahiru Thirimanne with * for the second wicket. Sangakkara scored his 23rd century in this match and this ball century was his fastest century overall and the fastest century by a Sri Lankan in World Cup history.[][]
During the same World Cup, against Australia, when chasing a massive score of , Sangakkara passed 14, ODI runs, becoming the first Sri Lankan and second overall cricketer to pass it.[] He scored runs in the next match against Scotland, becoming first batsman in World Cup history to score 4 consecutive hundreds.[]
Sangakkara's last ODI innings were disappointing from him and his teams' point of view, where Sri Lanka lost the quarter-final against South Africa on 18 March He only scored 45 runs, it was Sri Lanka's first World Cup defeat in a quarter final after His teammate Mahela also retired from ODI career with this match.[] He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the World Cup by the ICC.[]
He retired from T20Is in April and from ODIs on 18 March [] On 27 June , he officially announced his retirement from Test cricket, to be effective following the second Test against India that year.[][] He scored 32 and 18 in his last Test match and was dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin in both innings.[]
Sangakkara averaged in Test cricket and 42 in ODIs.[]
At the time of his retirement, Sangakkara was the second-highest ODI run-scorer after Sachin Tendulkar, and the sixth-highest Test run-scorer.[][]
He scored 38 centuries in Test cricket, more than any other Sri Lankan batter. In addition, he scored 25 centuries in ODIs.[91]
Sangakkara holds the record for the most wicket-keeping dismissals () in ODI cricket, with catches and 99 stumpings.[] His 13, runs in ODIs is the record by a wicket-keeper-batter.[] In the history of the Cricket World Cup, Sangakkara has completed the highest number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper – 54 in 37 matches. He was the second wicket-keeper after Adam Gilchrist to complete fifty dismissals in World Cups.[]
As a batter, Sangakkara tended to play off his front foot, using the cover drive as one of his regular scoring shots. He also liked to hit the ball square of the stumps on the offside, using the cut shot. The pull to leg or onside was another natural stroke for him.[citation needed]
As a wicket-keeper, Sangakkara was noted for his energy and athleticism.[1][]
Sangakkara is noted for his willingness to speak openly about controversial topics and he was chosen by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to deliver the Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's. He was both the youngest person and the first active international player to do so. His speech was widely praised by the cricketing community which welcomed Sangakkara's frank statements and outspoken style.[][]
The one-hour-long speech focused on corruption within cricket administration in Sri Lanka. Sangakkara said:
Accountability and transparency in administration and credibility of conduct were lost in a mad power struggle that would leave Sri Lankan cricket with no clear, consistent administration.[]
He observed that the problems had arisen only after Sri Lanka's Cricket World Cup victory and blamed "a handful of well-meaning individuals" who control the game, wasting the finances and resources of Sri Lanka Cricket.[] Immediately after the lecture, the Sri Lankan sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage ordered an investigation into Sangakkara's allegations.[] Despite critical comments by officials in the Sri Lankan government, it has been described as "the most important speech in cricket history."[]
One of cricket's most controversial issues is so-called "sledging" and Sangakkara has won some admiration for being willing to talk about it openly.[] In an interview in he explained his approach to it:
The public perception of sledging is to go out there and abuse someone in obscene language, questioning their parentage or sexual preferences. That kind of abuse does not belong on the field of play. Sledging, as coined and pioneered by the Australians, is a measured comment designed to get a reaction out of a player. It could be any reaction: a bit of anger, a show of arrogance, a comment, a shake of the head, or a slump of the shoulders.
—&#;Kumara Sangakkara in []
When Sangakkara retired from international cricket, he received praise from many sources which confirmed his popularity in the sport and underlined the respect his fellow professionals have always held for him. India's captain Virat Kohli, for example, spoke of Sangakkara as "a lovely human being" who had been "a wonderful player for Sri Lanka" and someone whom "a lot of left-handers really look up to, for the way he plays". Kohli emphasised: "His technique and the way he has scored runs all over the world, his numbers speak for themselves".[]Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's captain at the time, said Sangakkara was "the 'backbone' of their team".[]Cricket Australia said that, his batting feats aside, Sangakkara "holds a reputation as one of the game's true gentlemen".[]
Matches between Nalanda College, Colombo, and Trinity College, Kandy, have been part of Sri Lanka's schools cricket calendar since Mahela Jayawardene was a student of the former and Kumar Sangakkara of the latter. In January , the colleges created the Mahela-Sanga Challenge Trophy as the prize for their future matches against each other. The trophy is dedicated to "two cricketing gentlemen who have shown their willingness to contribute to society on countless occasions".[]
Sangakkara joined Sri Lanka's international selection committee on 7 March , working with chairman Aravinda de Silva and fellow selectors Romesh Kaluwitharana, Ranjith Madurasinghe, and Lalith Kaluperuma.[] In , Sangakkara was appointed to Sri Lanka Cricket's four-man technical advisory committee panel, again working with de Silva; the other two members were Muttiah Muralitharan and Roshan Mahanama.[][][]
Sangakkara has worked for Sky Sports since as a cricket commentatator.[] He has received much praise for the analytical aspect of his comments, which have been described as insightful.[]
In January , Sangakkara accepted an invitation from the incumbent President of Marylebone Cricket Club, Anthony Wreford, to be his successor. The decision was announced on 1 May , at which time Sangakkara became the President-Designate.[] His one-year term began on 1 October and Sangakkara was the first non-British MCC President since the club was founded in [][] He described MCC as "the greatest cricket club in the world" and said being named as its president was a "huge honour".[] He had been awarded honorary life membership of MCC in and had joined its World Cricket Committee the same year.[] He was succeeded by Clare Connor, who became MCC's first female president.[]
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Sangakkara is the current coach of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, having been appointed in January [] Under his direction, the Royals reached the IPL Final but lost by 7 wickets to Gujarat Titans.[] In IPL , Royals finished fifth in the points table.[citation needed]
In June , Sangakkara was elected to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, the second Sri Lankan player after Muttiah Muralitharan to receive the honour.[][][]
Sangakkara met his wife, Yehali, when they were at school together; they have twin children who were born in soon after he assumed the Sri Lanka captaincy.[4][5] Yehali has accompanied him on tour including nearly two months in the West Indies for the Cricket World Cup, in which Sri Lanka were the runners-up.[] In December , Sangakkara collaborated with Mahela Jayawardene and veteran chef Dharshan Munidasa to open the Ministry of Crab which has developed into one of Colombo's most successful restaurants.[]
Sangakkara is a devout buddhist.[] He is involved with Sri Lankan charities, mainly those which help children. He is a member of the Think Wise Initiative, which was launched by the ICC in co-operation with UNICEF and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. It is aimed at raising awareness of HIV prevention and eliminating discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. Sangakkara is also a partner in the Foundation of Goodness, a children's charity launched by Muttiah Muralitharan in Galle.[10]
On 19 August , just after the Sri Lankan parliamentary election, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Sangakkara as Ambassador of Anti-narcotics, a program which aims to promote awareness of and reduce dependency on dangerous drugs.[][][]