Kumar Sangakkara by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

---

Player:

KC Sangakkara

---

DateLine: 7th May 2009

 

During the early days itself his effortless batting oozed class from the start. A well rounded batsman he is comfortable driving through the covers as cutting behind point. Sangakkara’s arrival also helped solve the long-term search for a No. 3 batsman. Keeping in mind the exhausting dual responsibility of batting at No. 3 and keeping wicket the selectors relieved him of the gloves in one-day cricket after the 2003 World Cup. The change increased his productivity as a batsman but left the team unbalanced and he was handed back the wicketkeeping duties during Australia's tour in 2003-04. Sangakkara was rewarded for his consistent performances with a spot in the ICC World XI for the Super Series one-day matches in October 2005, but was overlooked for the Test squad. He added a world record 624 for the third wicket, against South Africa at Colombo, and his share was 287. Some of his memorable innings were back-to-back centuries on tour in New Zealand, twin unbeaten double-centuries against Bangladesh, and a glorious death or glory innings of 192 in defeat against Australia. He anchored Sri Lanka's victorious 2008 Asia Cup campaign with three centuries.