Sangakkara- Cricket Legend

Sangakkara - Cricket Legend

With the recent news that cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara is retiring from first-class cricket, Saad Raja Cricket discusses this hugely underrated player and talks about why he should be considered a true great of the game.

A cricket great 

Kumar Sangakkara, the left-handed Sri Lankan batsman has been a remarkably captivating personality both in national and international cricket grounds. He served as a cornerstone for the Sri Lankan team for a period of almost 15 years during which his elegant strokes and reliable keeping gained him international recognition as one of battings true legends. With intense batting powers, leadership attributes, and a strong determination of fulfilling responsibilities, Sangakkara played an instrumental role in giving the Sri Lankan national team identity and direction.

Breaking down the stats

This multilingual batsman emerged with a reputation as a blessing for cricket when he scored his 35th test century in February 2014 in the grounds Chittagong which elevated him above cricket legend Brian Lara on the all-time list. In the same match, this hero scored a triple century with 319 as his score in the first innings of the match. Often, Sangakkara did not receive enough recognition amongst the modern batting greats on the accounts of his generally average performance on the grounds in England. However, cricket analysts agree that Sangakkara is a batsman like none other; a true blessing for the Sri Lankan cricket team. He has undoubtedly scored centuries in all territories of the world with West Indies being the only exception. With an average score of 51.55 when he is away from home-grounds, Sangakkara does truly match the levels of legendary batsmen like Tendulkar, Ponting, and Kallis.

Away form 

When analyzing statistical scores of international batsmen; it is evident that on the basis of the 20 innings criterion, Sangakkara is ranked as the 2nd most special batsman after Don Bradman. His test average of 58.07 leaves him as the only player in history to score the highest runs at the fastest rate. This sensational player has performed even better averages when outside his home grounds; a quality that many international players struggle with. What really makes the hero a true blessing for his home team is his batting combined together with exceptional measures of consistency, longevity, and productivity – a gem that the Sri Lankan team will always miss and reminisce for obvious reasons.

Regardless of your team or nationality, nobody can deny Kumar Sangakkara his one of crickets all time greats.

–  Saaj Raja

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