Profile
‘Sanga’ as he is known to his team-mates, is one of cricket’s most endearing personalities both on and off the field and Sri Lankan Cricket would be pleased to have nurtured him into one of the best cricketers of the nation.
Kumar Sangakkara got underway purely as a batsman but subsequently started keeping wickets as well. He made his domestic debut for Nondescripts at the age of 20 and was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. Despite being a youngster, Sangakkara was gifted with exemplary temperament and was highly rated for his lucid style of batting. Within two years of his domestic debut, he made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka in 2000 against Pakistan in a triangular tournament which involved South Africa. He carried on from his debut to have a brilliant series averaging 66.33 and affecting seven dismissals. His performances were rewarded with a Test call-up against South Africa, a series in which he performed admirably behind the stumps. With a string of impressive performances in Tests and ODI’s, Sangakkara gradually displaced one of Sri Lanka’s greatest wicket- keepers Romesh Kaluwitharana and cemented himself in Sri Lanka’s squad.
As a batsman, Sangakkara is a connoisseur’s delight. He is a good player of both fast and spin bowling and is known to revel in difficult situations. Sanga has amazing levels of concentration and is known to score big once he reaches a hundred. With the experience of playing under several captains during his career, he has displayed great maturity while leading his side and is known to back youngsters to the hilt. His multilingual abilities also make him a hit in the diverse Sri Lankan dressing room. He has given up his gloves in the Test arena to concentrate on batting and the move has paid off as he averages astonishingly above 70 as a non wicket-keeper. Sanga gave up his captaincy from all formats of the game after Sri Lanka’s loss in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final against eventual winners, India.
Fast Facts
- Kumar Sangakkara was named ‘Test Batsman of the Year’ in Sri Lanka’s inaugural cricket awards.
- In 2012, he became the second Sri Lankan after Mahela Jayawardena to get to the 10,000-run mark in Tests.
Statistics
Show:
| |
Matches |
Innings |
Runs |
NO |
Avg. |
SR |
100's |
50's |
HS |
| Test |
117 |
200 |
10486 |
16 |
56.98 |
53.97 |
33 |
42 |
287 |
| ODI |
340 |
318 |
11026 |
33 |
38.68 |
75.75 |
14 |
74 |
138* |
| T20 |
43 |
41 |
1080 |
5 |
30 |
120.94 |
0 |
6 |
78 |
| IPL |
71 |
68 |
1687 |
3 |
25.95 |
121.19 |
0 |
10 |
94 |
| |
Matches |
Innings |
Balls |
Runs |
Wickets |
BBI |
BBM |
Avg. |
Econ. |
4w |
5w |
10w |
Extras |
| Test |
117 |
3 |
78 |
42 |
0 |
0/4 |
/ |
- |
3.23 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
Catches |
Stumpings |
Runouts |
| Test |
169 |
20 |
4 |
| ODI |
333 |
81 |
18 |
| T20 |
20 |
17 |
4 |
| IPL |
45 |
9 |
3 |
| |
Matches |
Won |
Lost |
Tie |
No Result |
Win percentage |
| Test |
15 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
33.33 |
| ODI |
45 |
27 |
14 |
0 |
4 |
60 |
| T20 |
22 |
13 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
59.09 |
| IPL |
47 |
14 |
31 |
2 |
0 |
29.79 |
Career
Span:
- Test:
- 2000-2013
- ODI:
- 2000-2013
- T20:
- 2006-2012
- IPL:
- 2008-2013
- Test
-
- Debut:
- Sri Lanka Vs South Africa at Galle International Stadium, Galle - Jul 20, 2000
- Last played:
- Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo - Mar 16, 2013
- ODI
-
- Debut:
- Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan at Galle International Stadium, Galle - Jul 05, 2000
- Last played:
- Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy - Mar 28, 2013
- T20
-
- Debut:
- Sri Lanka Vs England at The Rose Bowl, Southampton - Jun 15, 2006
- Last played:
- Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy - Oct 30, 2012
- IPL
-
- Debut:
- Punjab Vs Chennai at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali - Chandigarh - Apr 19, 2008
- Last played:
- Hyderabad Vs Chennai at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - May 08, 2013
