Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan legend born to a family of lawyers and himself a member of the bar, a collector of some of cricket's worthiest records and a gentleman par eloquence, will end his phenomenal Test career at Colombo's P Sara Oval later this month. And while he's busy doing that against India, his very good friend, former teammate and business partner Mahela Jayawardene will be there at the Oval too, watching Sanga show off the unending sweet spots on his glorious willow one last time.
Mahela and Sanga are cricketing acquaintances first and teammates later. They are also friends for over two decades now. Together, they have created a momentous legacy for Sri Lankan cricket. "When we look at phenomenal numbers in cricket, we see very few, very big names right up there. Then we watch in awe what they've achieved. Kumar will always be right up there," Mahela said in an exclusive chat this week.
With 12,305 runs in 132 Tests and 229 innings, Sanga is the fifth-highest Test run-getter of all time. But that figure alone doesn't entirely make the legend. His batting average, at 58.04, is only a fraction below Wally Hammond's 58.45 and the third in a legendary list that has the Don miles ahead on top. He did what he did in just 15 years of Test cricket, with 38 centuries, including 10 double tons - the second after the Don.
"The numbers are staggering and his achievements will be measured by those numbers. But the secret to Kumar's career lies in the tremendous amount of hard work he has put in. His attitude and his approach towards the game make him what he is," said Mahela.
The two former teammates are very close.They're not just good friends who have scored a staggering number of runs together, but are also business partners, running their own charity organization from Colombo, and trying to set the way forward for cricket in Sri Lanka. Once Mahela has done raising a toast one last time to Kumar, an other era of possibilities will begin for the two. "He's really a very good friend and we've been together for long. There are many areas we'd like to contribute so we'll wait and look at the possibilities," says Mahela.
It's not easy being an international cricketer in Sri Lanka, given the controversial administration in place. Financial distress, players complaining about salaries, issues in women's cricket, the dwindling stock of domestic cricket - it's an unending chapter of woes. "Within the team, we've tried to set a roadmap and seep in a certain culture. The effort entirely has been focused on leaving some kind of legacy behind which a youngster can follow," said Mahela.
He, along with Kumar, has plans for Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC), provided the present set of administrators give them the authority to go ahead. "Our role in SLC depends on what is going to happen in the administration. We'd love to contribute but we have to wait and watch," he added.
The two Sri Lankan stalwarts have been almost inseparable since they started playing together for the na tional team, when Sanga debuted and Mahela was the team's vice-captain. The years of bonding have ended up leaving the two gentlemen with similar ideologies. "Where cricket is concerned, he (Kumar) has been analyzed pretty much on all fronts," says Mahela. "But off the field, his contribution has been equally big. Right when he made his debut, he showed what a quick learner he was and we got so close because we were more or less the same age."
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