Star batsman Kumar Sangakkara has not only made history but defied law of averages as well. It’s been unprecedented for a batsman to score four centuries in a row and on Wednesday Sanga became the first batsman to complete four consecutive hundreds. Prior to his knock against the Scots in Hobart, the former captain had made 104 against Australia in Sydney, an unbeaten 117 against England in Wellington and another unbeaten 105 against Bangladesh at the MCG. It was the first instance a player had made four centuries in a World Cup tournament.
Sangakkara’s form has helped Sri Lanka to ride high in the competition with some perfect performances that has seen them qualify for the quarter-finals in Sydney. The left-handed batsman, who led Sri Lanka to the finals of the last World Cup, is playing his last ODI series. The 37-year-old has unearthed a new game during the tournament with some innovative shot-making and fans and team-mates have been pleading him to reconsider retirement.
During his century against Australia, he went past 14,000 ODI runs and he is currently the second highest run getter in the shorter version of the game. Since he is Sri Lanka’s key batsman, often his efforts behind the stumps go unnoticed. During the tournament, he also went past Adam Gilchrist claiming the record for the most dismissals in limited-overs cricket.
Currently he has 482 dismissals that include 99 stumpings and one more smart stumping will make him the first wicketkeeper to complete 100 stumpings in ODIs.
“We are all privileged to share the same dressing room with Kumar Sangakkara. His presence in the dressing room is fantastic. He is playing wonderfully well at the moment. Hopefully he continues his form in the next round as well,” Sri Lanka’s vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne told journalists.
Sangakkara has been a mentor for several young players and guided Thirimanne to his century during the steep run chase against England.
The manner in which he has conducted himself on and off the field has also earned him many admirers both in and out of the team.
His focus – not just during games but even at training – has been remarkable. The star batsman has not left anything for chance in an effort to achieve his dream of a World Cup triumph. During the last two editions of World Cup, Sri Lanka finished runners-up to Australia and India while in Sangakkara’s first tournament in South Africa, Sri Lanka finished losing semi-finalists to eventual champions Australia.
Sangakkara didn’t make a big impact in his first World Cup in 2003, but his sledging of South African captain Shaun Pollock was legendary as Sri Lanka tied the game and pushed the hosts out of the competition.
The South Africans can expect a taste of the same medicine during the quarter-final clash in Sydney.
