Kumar Sangakkara Is Currently The Number One Ranked Test Batsman In The World-
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| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara | |||
| Born | 27 October 1977 Matale, Sri Lanka | |||
| Batting style | Left-handed | |||
| Bowling style | Right arm off break | |||
| Role | Wicket-keeper, Sri Lanka Captain | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | Sri Lanka | |||
| Test debut (cap 84) | 20 July 2000 v South Africa | |||
| Last Test | 2 December 2009 v India | |||
| ODI debut (cap 93) | 5 July 2000 v Pakistan | |||
| Last ODI | 25 June 2010 v India | |||
| ODI shirt no. | 11 | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1997–present | Nondescripts | |||
| 2008–present | Kings XI Punjab | |||
| 2007 | Warwickshire | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Test | ODI | FC | LA |
| Matches | 91 | 279 | 176 | 340 |
| Runs scored | 8,016 | 8,604 | 12,400 | 11,003 |
| Batting average | 56.85 | 36.76 | 47.69 | 38.60 |
| 100s/50s | 23/33 | 10/58 | 31/57 | 16/70 |
| Top score | 287 | 138* | 287 | 156* |
| Balls bowled | 66 | – | 192 | – |
| Wickets | – | – | 1 | – |
| Bowling average | – | – | 108.00 | – |
| 5 wickets in innings | – | – | – | – |
| 10 wickets in match | – | – | – | – |
| Best bowling | – | – | 1/13 | – |
| Catches/stumpings | 157/20 | 263/68 | 318/33 | 323/85 |
| Source: CricketArchive, 5 January 2010 | ||||
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (Sinhala: කුමාර් චෝක්ෂනාද සංගක්කාර) (born 27 October 1977, Matale, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is a left-handed top-order batsman. He used to play as a wicket-keeper and top-order batsman in all forms of the game, but has stopped doing so in Tests as his batting average is significantly higher in Tests when he plays as a pure batsman. He is currently the number one ranked Test batsman in the world.
International career-
Sangakkara began his career as a batsman but subsequently became a wicket-keeper. His batting has developed to such an extent that he once topped the LG ICC Test batting rankings. However, in 2006 he gave the gloves to Prasanna Jayawardene in Tests and has since played as a specialist batsman. He remains Sri Lanka's wicket-keeper in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket. As of September 2009, he was ranked 1st on the Test batting rankings. Sangakkara peaked at 6th on the ICC all-time Test batting rankings.
Sangakkara likes to hit the ball square of the wicket on the off-side and upon making a century, consistently continues on past 150. On the 6 December 2007 he was named as the new Number 1 batsman in the LG ICC Test player rankings with a rating of 938, the highest rating ever achieved by a Sri Lankan player, and became the first batsman ever to score in excess of 150 in four consecutive tests. His skill was recognized worldwide when he earned selection for the ICC World XI One International Day team that competed against Australia in the Johnnie Walker Series in October 2005. He holds the record for fastest 8000 runs (152 innings) in Test cricket. He broke the previous record set by Sachin Tendulkar (154 innings) during the third test against India on 6 August 2010. Despite the World XI losing all of the one-day games by considerable margins, Sangakkara left the series with some credit, averaging 46.
Sangakkara was billed as a future captain of Sri Lanka. On Sri Lanka's tour to England in May 2006, he was named the vice-captain of the side. In March 2009 he was appointed to captain the Sri Lankan team for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. Sangakkara has won a certain degree of admiration for his clever use of sledging and is one of few cricketers who are willing to talk about it openly.
Personal life-
He is the youngest of four siblings and has a brother and two sisters one of whom is a sportswoman herself - a keen Tennis player. Sangakkara is married to his longtime partner, Yehali and is currently a law undergraduate, going in the footsteps of his father, who is also a leading lawyer in Kandy. He is multilingual, being able to speak in Sinhalese, Tamil and English and is often seen as the unofficial spokesman of the cricket team. Sangakkara is ambidextrous. Sangakkara is currently a law student at the Sri Lanka Law College.
On 30 June 2009 Sangakkara's wife gave birth to twins, a girl and boy.
Player Statistics-
Career performance:
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Sangakkara's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).
2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team-
| 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team | |
|---|---|
 Gaddafi Stadium, destination of attacked convoy | |
| Location | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 31°30′48.36″N 74°20′0.28″E / 31.5134333°N 74.3334111°ECoordinates: 31°30′48.36″N 74°20′0.28″E / 31.5134333°N 74.3334111°E |
| Date | March 3, 2009 08:40am Lahore Time (UTC+5) |
| Attack type | Ambush |
| Weapon(s) | AK-74s, 6-7 RPG and 22-70 Hand Grenade |
| Death(s) | 6 Pakistani police officers 2 civilians |
| Injured | 6 Sri Lankan cricketers and 2 staff + 1 reserve umpire |
| Suspected belligerent | several |
| Number of participant(s) | 14-15 |
| Defender(s) | Punjab Police/Elite Police |
| ||
The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankancricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the Pakistani cricket team. Six members of the Sri Lanka national cricket team were injured. Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed. These were the first attacks on a national sports team since the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes by Palestinian militants in 1972.
In September 2009, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse passed on the information to the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani that the attack has been carried out by LTTE. A fresh enquiry has been initiated following this claim.
Performance against each opponent-
As of 05 December 2010:
Opponent | Matches | Innings | Not out | Runs | High Score | 100 | 50 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 6 | 12 | 0 | 503 | 192 | 1 | 3 | 41.91 |
 Bangladesh | 11 | 14 | 2 | 876 | 222* | 2 | 5 | 73.00 |
 England | 15 | 26 | 1 | 1007 | 152 | 1 | 6 | 40.28 |
 India | 15 | 24 | 2 | 1257 | 219 | 5 | 2 | 57.13 |
 New Zealand | 8 | 14 | 3 | 651 | 156* | 3 | 2 | 59.18 |
 Pakistan | 10 | 19 | 2 | 1314 | 230 | 5 | 5 | 77.29 |
 South Africa | 12 | 22 | 0 | 1182 | 287 | 2 | 5 | 53.72 |
 West Indies | 12 | 19 | 2 | 918 | 157* | 3 | 5 | 54.00 |
 Zimbabwe | 5 | 6 | 0 | 536 | 270 | 2 | 1 | 89.33 |
| TOTAL | 94 | 156 | 12 | 8244 | 287 | 24 | 34 | 57.25 |
Test Centuries-
The following table illustrates a summary of the Test centuries scored by Kumar Sangakkara.
- In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
- The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career
| Test Centuries of Kumar Sangakkara: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | |
| [1] | 105* | 10 | India | Galle, Sri Lanka | Galle International Stadium | 2001 |
| [2] | 140 | 14 | West Indies | Galle, Sri Lanka | Galle International Stadium | 2001 |
| [3] | 128 | 17 | Zimbabwe | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2002 |
| [4] | 230 | 20 | Pakistan | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi Stadium | 2002 |
| [5] | 270 | 38 | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Queens Sports Club | 2004 |
| [6] | 232 | 42 | South Africa | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2004 |
| [7] | 138 | 44 | Pakistan | Karachi, Pakistan | National Stadium | 2004 |
| [8] | 157 | 48 | West Indies | Kandy, Sri Lanka | Asgiriya Stadium | 2005 |
| [9] | 185 | 56 | Pakistan | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2006 |
| [10] | 287 | 61 | South Africa | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2006 |
| [11] | 100* | 63 | New Zealand | Christchurch, New Zealand | Jade Stadium | 2006 |
| [12] | 156* | 64 | New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand | Basin Reserve | 2006 |
| [13] | 200* | 66 | Bangladesh | Colombo, Sri Lanka | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium | 2007 |
| [14] | 222* | 67 | Bangladesh | Kandy, Sri Lanka | Asgiriya Stadium | 2007 |
| [15] | 192 | 68 | Australia | Hobart, Australia | Bellerive Oval | 2007 |
| [16] | 152 | 69 | England | Kandy, Sri Lanka | Asgiriya Stadium | 2007 |
| [17] | 144 | 76 | India | Colombo, Sri Lanka | P. Sarawanamuttu stadium | 2008 |
| [18] | 104 | 80 | Pakistan | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi stadium | 2009 |
| [19] | 130* | 83 | Pakistan | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2009 |
| [20] | 109 | 85 | New Zealand | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground | 2009 |
| [21] | 137 | 88 | India | Mumbai, India | Brabourne Stadium | 2009 |
| [22] | 103 | 89 | India | Galle, Sri Lanka | Galle International Stadium | 2010 |
| [23] | 219 | 90 | India | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sinhalese Sports Club | 2010 |
| [24] | 150 | 93 | West Indies | Colombo, Sri Lanka | R. Premadasa Stadium | 2010 |
One Day International Centuries-
| ODI Centuries of Kumar Sangakkara | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs | Match | Against | City/Country | Venue | Year | |
| [1] | 100* | 86 | Pakistan | Sharjah, UAE | Sharjah C.A. Stadium | 2003 |
| [2] | 103* | 87 |  Kenya | Sharjah, UAE | Sharjah C.A. Stadium | 2003 |
| [3] | 101 | 100 | Australia | Colombo, Sri Lanka | R. Premadasa Stadium | 2004 |
| [4] | 138* | 141 | India | Jaipur, India | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | 2006 |
| [6] | 110 | 183 | India | Rajkot, India | Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground | 2007 |
| [7] | 128 | 213 | India | Adelaide, Australia | Adelaide Oval | 2008 |
| [8] | 101 | 221 | Bangladesh | Lahore, Pakistan | Gaddafi Stadium | 2008 |
| [9] | 112 | 222 | Pakistan | Karachi, Pakistan | National Stadium | 2008 |
| [10] | 121 | 223 | Bangladesh | Karachi, Pakistan | National stadium | 2008 |
Awards-
Test Cricket - Man of the match awards-
- In this table Ct., refers to the Catches and St. refers to the Stumping
# Series Season Match Performance Result 1 1st Test - Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka 2001/02 1st Innings - 128(4x22, 6x1)
2nd Innings - 3 Ct.Won by an innings and 166 runs
2 Final - Asian Test Championship 2001/02 1st Innings - 230(4x33, 6x3); 5 Ct., 1 St.
2nd Innings - 14*(4x1)3 2nd Test - Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe 2004 1st Innings - 270(4x36, 6x2); 1 Ct. 4 2nd Test - South Africa in Sri Lanka 2004 1st Innings - 232(4x31, 6x1); 1 Ct.
2nd Innings - 64(4x10, 6x1)5 2nd Test - West Indies in Sri Lanka 2005 1st Innings - 6(4x1)
2nd Innings - 157(4x24)6 1st Test - Pakistan in Sri Lanka 2006 1st Innings - 8(4x1); 2 Ct.
2nd Innings - 185(4x22)7 2nd Test - Bangladesh in Sri Lanka 2007 1st Innings - 200*(4x20, 6x2) 8 1st Test - England in Sri Lanka 2007/08 1st Innings - 92 (4x13)
2nd Innings - 152 (4x19); 1 Ct.9 3rd Test - India in Sri Lanka 2008 1st Innings - 144(4x14)
2nd Innings - 04(4x0)
One-Day International Cricket - Man of the series awards-
# Series Season Match Performance Result 1 Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup in UAE 2002/2003 228(3 Matches); 100x2 Won the Sharja Cup by 8 wickets
2 South Africa in Sri Lanka 2004 247(5 Matches); 50x3, 5 Ct., 5 St. 3 2nd Test - Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe 2004 182(3 Matches); 100x1, 50x1, 5 Ct. 4 Idea Cup 2009-10 in Bangladesh 2009/2010 274(5 Matches); 50x4
One-Day International Cricket - Man of the match awards-
# Series Season Match Performance Result 1 2nd Mt. - Singer Triangular Series vs South Africa 2000 85(4x11); 1 Ct. 2 7th Mt. - NatWest Series vs England in England 2002 70(4x8) 3 2nd Mt. - Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup vs Pakistan in UAE 2002/03 100(4x9) 4 4th Mt. - Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup vs Kenyain UAE 2002/03 103(4x9) 5 4th ODI - South Africa in Sri Lanka 2004 74(4x6); 1 St. 6 Final - Paktel Cup vs Pakistan in Pakistan 2004/05 68(4x7); 1 Ct., 2 St. 7 2nd Mt. - Afro-Asian Cup vs Africa XI in South Africa 2004/05 61(4x9, 6x1); 1 Ct. A.XIwon by 17 runs 8 3rd Mt. - VB Series vs South Africa in Australia 2005/06 88(4x10) 9 1st Final - VB Series vs Australia in Australia 2005/06 83(4x3, 6x1); 1 St. 10 3rd ODI - Sri Lanka in Bangladesh 2005/06 109(4x11); 1 Ct. 11 2nd ODI - Sri Lanka in India 2006/07 110(4x11, 6x4); 2 Ct., 1 St. 12 8th ODI - Commonwealth Bank Series 2007-08 128 (4x12); 1 Ct. Won by 2 wickets
13 4th ODI - Gramine Phone Series 2008-09 59 (4x6); 4 Ct. 14 5th ODI - India tour in Sri Lanka 2009 84 (4x8) (6x1); 2 Ct.
Attack-
Black/grey depicts the route for team convoy. The escape route for attackers is shown in blue.
According to the officials, 12 gunmen were hiding near Liberty Square, in the centre of Lahore, waiting for the Sri Lankan team to pass on their way to the Gaddafi stadium. When the bus crossed the road they started firing, targeting the bus. The Pakistan police escorting the team returned fire; in the ensuing fighting, six policemen and two civilians died. After about 20 minutes, the militants fled, leaving behind rocket launchers and grenades.
The gunmen had first targeted the wheels of the bus, and then had fired at the bus and its occupants. The attackers had fired a rocket at the bus, which missed and hit a nearby electric pole. The driver of the bus, Mehar Mohammad Khalil, had then kept on driving a distance of about 500 metres (1,600 ft) until they reached the stadium. Khalil was hailed as a hero for his bravery. The attackers had also thrown a grenade under the bus, which exploded after the bus had passed over it.
A minivan following the team bus and carrying the match referee and umpires was also fired upon and the driver was killed. Simon Taufel, Steve Davis, Nadeem Ghauri, Ahsan Raza, umpires performance manager Peter Manuel, liaison officer Abdul Sami and ICC match referee Chris Broad were in this minivan. The minivan was subsequently allegedly abandoned by security personnel & no bullets were fired by the security forces for twenty minutes. Chris Broad threw himself over & kept his hand on the chest of Ahsan Raza to slow down the profuse bleeding from a bullet injury. A police officer who climbed into the minivan to seek cover initially refused to drive the minivan. After Chris Broad scolded him he agreed and drove the minivan to safety.
Security cameras captured footage of several gunmen carrying automatic weapons and backpacks, firing on the convoy from the Liberty Square roundabout. They were later seen jogging up the street and escaping on motorcycles. The video was broadcast around the world presenting pictures of the attacks. CCTV footage has been made public. They arrived at 8:39 am local time and left at 8:46 am. The attackers were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades, RPG launchers, claymores and explosive charges.
The Sri Lankan team were then taken to the stadium and airlifted from the pitch via Pakistan Air Force Mil Mi-17 helicopters, and immediate arrangements were made for the Sri Lankan team to return to Colombo on the next available flight. The second Test, which was the last scheduled fixture of the tour, was abandoned as a draw.
Arrests-
On March 5, Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, said the individuals responsible for the attack had been identified, but would not be revealed until the investigation was complete. The province offered a reward of 10 million rupees ($125,000 USD) for information leading to the capture of the militants responsible for the attack.
Police in Punjab arrested over 250 suspects, including 4 who were said to be 'prime suspects'. Police called Muhammad Adil, who ran sports bikes business in Islampura, the mastermind behind the attack, and said that he had received a call from one of the militants at 9:05am on the morning of the attacks asking for instructions. Though Adil was still absconding, his brother, Muhammad Faisal, had been arrested.Rahim Yar Khan after a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registered in his name was used in the attack along with eight others. Police also arrested Shahzad Babar of Rahim Yar Khan after a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registered in his name was used in the attack along with eight others.
Security officials in Pakistan told The Times that most of the two dozen people arrested in connection with the attacks belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the outlawed militant groups with close links to Al-Qaeda. The suspected mastermind Mohammed Aqeel an activist of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi escaped a Police raid on his home in Kahuta on March 9,of 2009.
Punjab Police have arrested the alleged mastermind Aqeel alias Dr Usman of Kahota. He has alleged to have links with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Chief Baitullah Mehsud, and was also invloved in anti-aircraft gun attack on former president Pervez Musharraf’s plane in Rawalpindi.
DAMBULLA: There seems to be no respite for controversy-ridden Sri Lanka as the hosts were involved in yet another unsavoury incident with skipper Kumar Sangakkara colliding with New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum in a tri-series match on Friday.
The incident happened in the 26.5 over, when after flicking a ball to fine-leg region, Sangakkara bumped into McCullum while trying to ground his bat to take his run.
The bowler didn't like it and complained to the umpires, who reported it to the Match Referee and Sangakkara was charged with a level 2 offence for the incident.
Talking about the incident, former skipper Mahela Jayawardene said it was not done intentionally by Sangakkara as he was "blinded" when he took the run.
"It was not intentional. Sangakkara collided with a bowlers and the bowler complained to the umpire. But Sangakkara didn't do it intentionally. He was blind when he took the run. Both the players spoke about it in the dressing room," Jayawardene said.
This incident comes days after Sri Lanka were embroiled in a demoralising no-ball controversy in their second game against India on Monday.
Off-spinner Suraj Randiv was banned for one game by Sri Lanka Cricket for bowling a no-ball to Virender Sehwag at the fag end of the match to deprive the Indian opener his century.
Senior batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan docked of his entire match fee after local media reported that he coaxed Randiv to bowl the no-ball.
The incident happened in the 26.5 over, when after flicking a ball to fine-leg region, Sangakkara bumped into McCullum while trying to ground his bat to take his run.
The bowler didn't like it and complained to the umpires, who reported it to the Match Referee and Sangakkara was charged with a level 2 offence for the incident.
Talking about the incident, former skipper Mahela Jayawardene said it was not done intentionally by Sangakkara as he was "blinded" when he took the run.
"It was not intentional. Sangakkara collided with a bowlers and the bowler complained to the umpire. But Sangakkara didn't do it intentionally. He was blind when he took the run. Both the players spoke about it in the dressing room," Jayawardene said.
Off-spinner Suraj Randiv was banned for one game by Sri Lanka Cricket for bowling a no-ball to Virender Sehwag at the fag end of the match to deprive the Indian opener his century.
Senior batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan docked of his entire match fee after local media reported that he coaxed Randiv to bowl the no-ball.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara made his 24th Test century as his team closed day two of the second Test with the West Indies in Colombo on 294-5.
Resuming on 84-3 with Sangakkara on 25, the Sri Lankans saw their captain share 170 with Thilan Samaraweera who hit 80.
Sangakkara was on 135 after 16 fours and a six when rain prompted an early tea and then ended play for the day.
The three-match series is level at 0-0 after the Sri Lankans battled to a draw in a rain-hit opening Test in Galle.
West Indies made Sri Lanka follow on in a first Test that was badly hit by rain, and half the allotted overs have already been lost in this match.
Sangakkara broke his bat after consecutive fours off slow left-armer Sulieman Benn in the penultimate over before lunch, but had few other alarms in an assured third Test century against the Windies.
He moved into the 90's by advancing down the wicket to hit off-spinner Shane Shillingford for six, and came down the wicket again to drive the next ball over mid-on for four.
Samaraweera, who hooked paceman Kemar Roach for six early in his innings, recorded his 25th Test half century before he pulled a short ball from Dwayne Bravo straight to fine-leg.
Angelo Matthews added 25, but then became Roach's third wicket of the match, an outside edge carrying to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.
No further play was possible after the tea interval as rain closed in, with the umpires abandoning play for the day an hour after the evening session had been scheduled to start.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara remains wary of an Australian side without a win since July, saying he's under no illusions as to Australia's quality, particularly on home soil.
Speaking in Melbourne ahead of the three-game ODI series with the Aussies - to kick off at the MCG on Wednesday - Sangakkara admitted his side was brimming with confidence following their seven-wicket mauling of Australia in the opening Twenty20 clash in Perth on Sunday evening.
Despite that, Sangakkara is only too aware of Sri Lanka's ODI form in Australia where they have never won a series, and he knows the Aussies will be hell-bent on rebounding in their last series before the Ashes.
The Aussies will head into the first ODI at the MCG without skipper Ricky Ponting, who will fly back to Launceston to attend his grandmother's funeral, with Michael Clarke to again take charge of the side.
"A player of the calibre of Ricky Ponting is a huge blow to anyone, he is one of the best players of the last decade," Sangakkara said.
Despite talk of the World Cup, to be held in February next year, Sangakkara preferred to concentrate on the upcoming series.
"We're not really (focused on the World Cup), everyone knows it's coming up but this series is important in the context of itself."
Sangakkara said the squad for the World Cup would gradually take shape and could well be influenced by Sri Lanka's fortunes in Australia.
The captain also admitted Muttiah's Muralitharan's return to the one-day arena came as a huge boost to his side.
"Murali (Muralitharan) is always a guarantee to play when he's in our (squad), he's a luxury to have in the side and we're very lucky he decided to come back before the World Cup."
While Murali put his hand up for the three one-dayers there are other promising signs for the Sri Lankan's, particularly the form of youngster Suraj Randiv.
Sangakkara said Randiv, a right-arm off spinner, had come on in 'leaps and bounds' and would be earmarked to play more international cricket when Muralitharan retires from the one-day game for good.
The 25-year old boasts a solid ODI average of 33.57 and was impressive with 3-25 in Sri Lanka's T20 win over the Aussies on Sunday.
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