A Champion Of Men As Well As The Players

As he enters retirement, Roderick Easdale salutes the magnificent career of the great Kumar Sangakkara

- Roderick Easdale

Just after five o’clock on the second day of Surrey’s final home championship game of the season, Kumar Sangakkara rocked back and cut a ball to the square third-man boundary. It followed countless others dispatched by him that way this summer, but this one got him to his eighth century of his farewell season. The Kia Oval crowd stood to applaud and one section started chanting “four more years”.

At close of play, journos huddled outside the dressing rooms waiting for interviews, swapping Sanga stats to pass the time.

“This means he has scored centuries against every other opponent this season in Division One…. well, if you include his one against Hampshire in the Royal London as he missed both the champo games against them.”

“….hundreds against Yorkshire this season in red-ball, white-ball and pink-ball cricket.”

“…in only one championship game has he not made at least a fifty, home against Essex. Mind you, he made up for it at Chelmsford, didn’t he, with 200 and 84?”

That Chelmsford game showed cricket’s romantic side and fellow pros’ respect for Sangakkara. With Surrey clearly on course to saving the draw, and Sanga, on 79 within sight of a record-equalling sixth successive firstclass century, a bouncer from Neil Wagner took the players off for bad light. Time and light ebbed away, but captains and umpires got together and play resumed late on, in light no noticeably better. Wagner finished his over with slow-medium deliveries wide of off-stump, then Essex used their spinners. But Sanga fell short, caught and-bowled by Tom Westley.