Zaheer Khan was extremely difficult to face: Kumar Sangakkara
Former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara revealed that Wasim Akram was a nightmare to face while batting. He also added that he had faced Zaheer Khan a lot of times and he presented a difficult proposition as well.
The former Sri Lankan skipper was interacting with the public through a Q&A session organized by Marylebone Cricket Club on Twitter.
The Southpaw termed Wasim Akram 'a nightmare to face' while also calling Zaheer Khan 'extremely difficult' to play.
“Wasim Akram was a nightmare to face. Zaheer Khan, I faced many times and was extremely difficult also,” Sangakkara said.
While keeping, Kumar Sangakkara revealed that Muttiah Muralitharan was quite a handful. The amount of variation and turn that the off-spinner extracted tested the skills and both mental as well as physical fitness levels of the keeper.
“Behind the stumps, it would be Murali. He was extremely difficult to keep to with his variation and turn, and the weather conditions in Sri Lanka made it a test of both mental and physical fitness. So he would be number one,” Kumar Sangakkara added.
Viv Richards and Brian Lara were my batting heroes: Kumar Sangakkara
The former Surrey batsman stated that Viv Richards was his favourite batsman until Brian Lara came around. And since then, both of them have shared equal importance in his list.
“Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara were my batting heroes. It was Sir Viv Richards up until Brian Lara came around – since then they shared equal importance on my list,” Sangakkara said.
Kumar Sangakkara also said that the Sri Lankan triumph in the 1996 World Cup inspired him to take up cricket seriously and become an international player.
Having won the 2012 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the year, Kumar Sangakkara is currently posted as the President of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).