Comparing birthday boy Kumar Sangakkara's international career with MS Dhoni
Kumar Sangakkara turns 46 – one of the greatest ever Sri Lankan players to grace the cricket field. However, there is still this feeling that he is regarded as one of the best just within Sri Lanka when his records speak volumes of his ability elsewhere, too. Sachin Tendulkar kept churning out runs for India across all conditions, as did Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis for Australia and South Africa, respectively. While these players are considered the best in the business, for some reason, Sangkkara is never mentioned in the same breath.
The numbers, though, paint a different story, and when in doubt, just look at the numbers, for seldom do they lie. Sangakkara started his Test career as a wicketkeeper, stepping into the shoes of Romesh Kaluwitharana. Although he enjoyed some success with the bat in his early years, boasting an average of 46.90 by mid-2006, the selection committee led by Ashantha de Mel believed that he would contribute more significantly to the team as a dedicated batter. The left-hander had firmly established himself as Sri Lanka's regular No. 3 batsman, and hence, the decision to give up the wicket-keeping gloves made all the more sense.
The decision to utilize him solely as a batsman proved to be pivotal, leading to a remarkable nine-year surge in his batting performance. In 84 Tests played as a specialist batsman, Sangakkara amassed an impressive 9,188 runs at an astounding average of 68.05. This average stands second only to Don Bradman's among non-wicketkeepers who have scored more than 1,000 Test runs.
And well, he did not just bash Bangladesh and Zimbabwe as is the notion. In Australia, he averages 60, in England, it is 41. It is 61 and 36 in New Zealand and South Africa, respectively. These are serious numbers, and when in the comfort of sub-continent conditions, he became a run-scoring beast. In Sri Lanka, he averaged 60, while in India and Bangladesh, he scored with an average of 36 and 78, respectively. In Pakistan, it surged well past 85.
He set records as the fastest player to achieve milestones such as 8,000 runs, 9,000 runs, 10,000 runs, and now 11,000 runs, jointly sharing these achievements with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
These are numbers that speak volumes of his ability as a batter, a leader who stepped up when given the responsibility. Kumar Sangakkara led Sri Lanka in 15 matches and scored his runs at an average of close to 70. He was the constant, a bridge between the era of Arjuna Ranatunga and the next generation of Angelo Mathews.
Kumar Sangakkara - similar, yet different from MS Dhoni
In ODIs, he churned out 14,234 runs at an average of 42. He is, without any doubt, the greatest Sri Lankan batter, and in limited-overs cricket, he was their finest all-rounder. As a wicket-keeper batter and also captain of the side, he was very similar to what MS Dhoni was for India.
Dhoni, on the other hand, never gave up his wicket-keeping gloves, and was content to bat in the middle order and finish off games. For India, MS Dhoni was the bank in ODI cricket, much like Kumar Sangakkara was in Test cricket for Sri Lanka. They were leaders – both with their demeanor and their performances.
It was, thus, quite fitting that when MS Dhoni smashed that winning six to seal the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Sangakkara looked on from behind and smiled. For it was Kumar Sangakkara who was the main man when Sri Lanka knocked out India in the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup and MS Dhoni had to simply look on. In 2014, Sangakkara was player of the match in the final – two leaders playing a similar role in different formats for their side. Two leaders playing the tournament-winning knocks in different finals against each other.
Happy Birthday Kumar Sangakkara! He deserves so much more than just being a Sri Lankan great. He was a batting great, a cricketing giant who kept performing with elegance, grace, and poise.