Sangakkara: The Man Who Should Not Retire

That no true cricket lover wants Kumar Sangakkara to go away is his biggest achievement. He should not retire, we firmly believe, while the truth is that he will.

2012. Indian Premier League. Not in the best of form before the match against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, Kumar Sangakkara who was leading the Deccan Chargers did what few skippers have ever done. He dropped himself after discussing the strategy with the DC coach Darren Lehmann, a selfless act that was appropriately applauded by the media.

2015. Sangakkara, who is in the form of his life, has decided to call it a day in one-day internationals after the ongoing ICC World Cup. He has scored four successive centuries in the tournament, a new record in ODIs.

But his glorious form doesn’t seem to matter to him. He is listening to the voice of his mind, and so is Mahela Jayawardene, the other Lankan superstars.

Such has been Sri Lanka’s dependence on these two batsmen that their sudden absence will result in a void that will be impossible to fulfill right away.

At the moment, however, the focus is entirely on Sangakkara and not only because he has been batting the way he has in the World Cup. In the last few years, his form has been simply magnificent.

An example. In the only Test he has played this year, he scored a double century against New Zealand in Wellington in a losing cause. That took his tally of double centuries to 11, just one short of Sir Donald Bradman’s all-time record of 12.

Since Sangakkara will continue to play Tests until August, chances are he might equal or even surpass Sir Don’s record. Apart from the fact that his conversion rate is very high, his double century in his only Test in January this year shows that his fantastic form in the longer version remains undiminished.

If 38 centuries and 12,203 runs in Tests aren’t proof enough, what else can one say when this elegant southpaw who has learned to put a price tag on his wicket with time has scored as many as 13 scores of 100-plus runs since the 2011-12 season? In 2014, he accumulated the highest number of runs in a year in his entire career, playing 11 Tests to accumulate 1,439 runs at an average of 71.90 with 319, his first triple ton that came against Bangladesh, as his highest.

So, just another double century in the longer version this year? That is possible. Even while he needs just one major knock to be in the company of the all-time greatest, Sangakkara hasn’t waited to make it happen before making his decision public. Persuasion techniques to make him stay on have been employed. Having made up his mind, however, he won’t revisit his decision, which both the cricketing fraternity and his fans must accept.
Sri Lanka have never had a batting lineup like India’s Fab Four (Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman), which should have been renamed Fantastic Five once Virender Sehwag walked into the squad. What they now have is the Terrific Trio of Sangakkara who is an all-time great in both Tests and ODIs, Jayawardene, a great player in the longer version; and Tillakaratne Dilshan, vastly underrated, whose effectiveness in the ODIs exceeds Jayawardene’s by some distance.

After the World Cup ends, Jayawardene, who has already retired from the Tests, will vanish from the international scene. Post August, world cricket won’t see Sangakkara any longer. Dishan, 38, has to call it a day sooner rather than later.

In their absence, Sri Lanka will become entirely dependent on talented young batsmen like Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thiramanne, who aren’t experienced enough. Spearheading the batting lineup of a Test-playing nation without getting adequate time to evolve with quality exposure won’t be easy for either. Had Sangakkara continued to play for a little while longer, both of them would have felt a little more secure while watching and learning from the master at work on the playing field.

Certainly not unaware of what his presence would have meant to Chandimal, Thirumane and other newcomers who will find their way into  the team, Sangakkara’s decision to retire at his best must be hurting Sri Lanka very badly as their search for alternatives continues.

Getting another keeper-batsman like Sangakkara is impossible. Discovering just one new batsman whose career average in Tests outside home conditions (63.17) will eventually be much higher than at home (53.17) can result in the writing of one more glorious chapter in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. In his 403-match-long ODI career so far, Sangakarra has amassed  14,189 runs at an fantastic average of 41.97. Since 2011, he has scored 14 out of his total of 25 ODI centuries.

Sangakkara may not have the lazy elegance of David Gower or the sublime offside play of Sourav Ganguly. What he has is confidence, fluency and timing, the last two qualities distinguishing him from any other southpaw that his country has produced so far. Not only is his career record far better than any other Sri Lankan batsman, both right- and left-handers, it easily compares with the best in the history of international cricket.

He doesn’t captain his side any longer. He has relinquished the duties of a keeper in the longer version as well. As a keeper, he may not have been a Rodney Marsh or an Alan Knott. But he has stood behind the stumps and displayed exemplary composure and comfort even while leading the team.

Articulate and dignified off the field, Sangakkara’s unhesitant use of sledging while keeping wickets is somewhat surprising. What is typically him is that his idea of sledging is limited to body language and witty remarks without falling back on obscenities ever. He has broken so many existing records and made them his own that writing about them would  be a statistician’s delight. Having been there, done that, he now believes that fading away is the right thing to do.

Sangakarra’s retirement will be a loss to cricket, and not just to Sri Lanka fans. He brings out the best in world class bowlers like Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson for whom he is one of the very few prized scalps in modern-day cricket.

Such bowlers need challengers who can destroy their line and length with sustained attack and resolute defensive strokes. Catching them off-guard and capturing their wickets is a far more satisfying experience compared to seeing the back of an ordinary batsman. Now that he has made up his mind about leaving, he will be missed.

What prompted Sangakkara to take the decision? Mental fatigue after playing years of international cricket is a possibility. Maybe he believes that he needs to give time to his family. As a performer for Sri Lanka, he has done far more than the island nation would have expected from him when he entered the national team in 2000. Can he do more? Definitely, he can, given his rich vein of form accompanied by an insatiable appetite for runs.

That no rational cricket lover wants Sangakkara to go away is his biggest achievement. He should not retire, we firmly believe, while the truth is that he will.