Kumar Sangakkara is a formal Srilankan skipper.He has been a legend in the field of cricket. He is one of the chosen few who seem to be born for the game. Sangakkara said his Dream Cricket team in a video published on a social media by the Lords cricket ground. The list in total has four Australian and three Lankan while a lone spot for Indian, Pakistan, South African and West Indian players. In a video published on social media by the Lord's Cricket Ground, Sangakkara picked his countryman and former batsman Aravinda De Silva as the captain and selected Mathew Hayden and Rahul Dravid as the opening batsmen.
Legends Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting and top allrounder Jacques Kallis complete the batting line-up, followed by the legendary Adam Gilchrist. Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan are the two specialist spinners in the squad.
The fast-bowling department is led by Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas, who Sangakkara picked over Glenn McGrath and he names only one Pakistani in all-time XI.
Wasim as a left-arm fast-bowler, said Sangakara. “High skill! Belittles you both with the old and the new ball; a left-armer, just unbelievably challenging to face him.” he said.
former Sri Lanka veteran added that all batsmen he knew feared the Pakistani left-armer. Any batsman that I have spoken to, said he always feared facing Wasim.
former Sri Lanka veteran added that all batsmen he knew feared the Pakistani left-armer. Any batsman that I have spoken to, said he always feared facing Wasim.
Sangakkara's Dream XI:
1. Mathew Hayden (Aus)
2. Rahul Dravid(Ind)
3. Brian Lara (WI)
4. Ricky Ponting (Aus),
5. Aravinda De Silva – Captain (SL)
6. Jacques Kallis (SA)
7. Adam Gilchrist (Aus) - Wicket Keeper
8. Shane Warne (Aus),
9. Muttiah Muralitharan(SL),
10. Wasim Akram(Pak),
11. Chaminda Vaas(SL).
He opted for Australia great Matthew Hayden and India’s Rahul Dravid at the top of the order, followed by his all-time favourite batsman, Windies legend Brian Lara, at No.3. "I’ll have Ricky Ponting at number four, and then it’s a tossup between Aravinda de Silva and Mahela Jayawardene for the crucial number five spot, Sangakkara told. I wish I could have both. But Aravinda, because Mahela and I both agree he is the best Sri Lankan batsman we have ever seen. South Africa’s Jacques Kallis is the allrounder in the team at No.6, ahead of Australia great Adam Gilchrist, who dons the gloves in Sangakkara’s side.
Sangakkara included two spinners in his bowling attack, saying it was impossible to leave either Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralidaran out.
I’d have two spinners in all conditions they’re the two best spinners I’ve ever seen. Wasim Akram's skill belittles you both with the old and the new ball; a left-armer, just unbelievably challenging to face him.For my final spot, it’s a choice between Vaas or McGrath I’m going to go for Vaas. But it was the exclusion of Tendulkar left many India fans demanding answers, prompting Sangakkara to explain his decision on social media.
The legend Kumar Sangakkara chose Aravinda De silva as his captain with Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden as the opening pair.
Sangakkara had no second thoughts in picking his favourite Brian Lara to bat at No. 3 for his team. Australian great Ricky Ponting has piped Tendulkar and secured the No. 4 spot. While choosing the top four without any hesitation, Sangakkara had selection headaches when it came to the No. 5 spot. The left-handed batsman revealed he found it difficult to choose between Sri Lanka greats and teammates Mahela Jayawardene and Aravinda de Silva. I want them both to be in my team, he said, after going ahead with the 1996 World Cup winner as the captain of his team.
All-rounder Jacques Kallis also featured in the squad, which had Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist donning the wicketkeeper's gloves.
Sangakkara had the spin twins Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in his team and the pace bowling department featured Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas.
Sangakkara had deliberated choosing Glenn McGrath but then decided in favour of his former teammate Vaas.
Kumar Sangakkara Ignores Sachin Tendulkar in His All Time XI
No Sachin Tendulkar in Kumar Sangakkara's all-time XI. Sangakkara doesn't think Sachin Tendulkar is good enough to fit into his All Time XI in which he included four Australians and three players from Sri Lanka. In his all-time XI, Sangakkara has ignored Tendulkar. In fact, Rahul Dravid is the lone Indian in the team, which is dominated by Australian cricketers.
Kumar Sangakkara Biography
Full name: Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara
Born: October 27, 1977, Matale
Current age 38 years 271 days
Major teams: Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Central Province,Colombo District Cricket Association, Deccan Chargers, Durham,Hobart Hurricanes, ICC World XI, Jamaica Tallawahs, Kandurata,Kandurata Maroons, Kings XI Punjab, Marylebone Cricket Club,Nondescripts Cricket Club, Quetta Gladiators,Sunrisers Hyderabad, Warwickshire
Playing role: Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style: Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm off break
Fielding position: Wicketkeeper
“Sanga" is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lankan national team. Widely regarded as one of the world's most influential cricketers, Sangakkara has forged many formidable partnerships with long time team mate and friend, Mahela Jayawardene and holds numerous batting records in the modern era across all formats of the game. He is second to Tendulkar in terms of most international runs with 28,016.
A left-handed top-order batsman, he is also a record-breaking wicket-keeper, although he no longer kept wickets at the end of his Test career. Currently, he is the second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket and the fifth-highest run scorer in Test cricket.
Sangakkara is described as one of the "most polished and prudent of batsmen" in cricket. Along with AB de Villiers, he has dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test batting rankings between 2005 and 2015. On 12 August 2015, Sangakkara was placed at number 5 in the ICC Test rankings.
Sangakkara was a key member of the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and was part of the team that made the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. He won the Man of the Match award in the final of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, where he helped the team win their first title.
He was the youngest person and the first active international player to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, which was widely praised by the cricketing community for its outspoken nature.
In terms of number of innings required, Sangakkara is the fastest batsman to reach 8,000, 9,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs in Test cricket. He is also joint fastest to 10,000.He won the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2012, Test Cricketer of the Year in 2012, and ODI Cricketer of the Year multiple times in 2011 and 2013.He has also won the LG People's Choice Award twice, in 2011 and 2012. Sangakkara has regularly featured in the World Test XI and World ODI XI, appearing six times and three times in them, respectively. He was selected as Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2015 edition of Wisden.
Kumar Sangakkara, an elegant stroke player, a reliable keeper, an astute thinker, was the cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket for close to 15 years. After playing close to 500 international games for his country, the all-time great cricketer played his final game in a Test against India at Colombo in 2015.
Sangakkara's arrival on the cricket scene was sensational. A blistering 156 against Zimbabwe A in 2000 was enough to convince the selectors of his ability. Rewarded with a place in the one-day squad at the age of only 22, he won his first Man of the Match award in his second game. He scored his maiden Test century in his tenth Test after missing out twice before by getting out in the 90s. His batting was bordered by a temperament beyond his age.
Sangakkara's arrival on the cricket scene was sensational. A blistering 156 against Zimbabwe A in 2000 was enough to convince the selectors of his ability. Rewarded with a place in the one-day squad at the age of only 22, he won his first Man of the Match award in his second game. He scored his maiden Test century in his tenth Test after missing out twice before by getting out in the 90s. His batting was bordered by a temperament beyond his age.
Sangakkara reached the peak of his prowess under the leadership of his good mate Mahela Jayawardene, having a prolific run in both forms of the game. His compiled a monumental 287 in the company of Mahela as the duo put on 624, and sucked the life out of the South African bowling attack, while rewriting First-Class cricket record books. His counter-attacking century on a green pitch in Wellington in 2006-07 showed his class as a batsman.
His memorable 192 in Hobart against Australia in 2007, yet again proved that he is the mainstay of the Sri Lankan batting line-up. Part of the modern generation of wicket keeper-batsmen, Sangakkara's versatility is the prime reason for his side's success. His top-notch displays are reflected in the fact that he topped the ICC test rankings towards the end of 2007, and was included in the ICC World ODI XI in 2005 and the World Test Team in 2006.
He is one of the few batsmen who owns the stupendous record of amassing 10,000-plus runs in both Tests and ODIs. He led the Hyderabad franchise for 3 years (2011- 2013), but had to pave way for Cameron White in the 2013.
His memorable 192 in Hobart against Australia in 2007, yet again proved that he is the mainstay of the Sri Lankan batting line-up. Part of the modern generation of wicket keeper-batsmen, Sangakkara's versatility is the prime reason for his side's success. His top-notch displays are reflected in the fact that he topped the ICC test rankings towards the end of 2007, and was included in the ICC World ODI XI in 2005 and the World Test Team in 2006.
He is one of the few batsmen who owns the stupendous record of amassing 10,000-plus runs in both Tests and ODIs. He led the Hyderabad franchise for 3 years (2011- 2013), but had to pave way for Cameron White in the 2013.
Arguably, Sangakkara was instrumental in helping Sri Lanka achieve balance in their playing eleven. Given the responsibility of leading the national side after the resignation of Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakarra had a pivotal role in giving direction to Sri Lankan cricket.
The advent of leadership catapulted his powers even further. Sangakkara enjoyed a great deal of success at the helm, leading Sri Lanka to wins in the tri-series in Bangladesh and defeating Asian-rivals, India. He also guided Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final. However, he stepped down from captaincy, following the agonizing loss in the final, realising the importance of ushering in the new age of Sri Lankan cricket aside from sharpening his own batsmanship. The same year, he was adjudged the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.
The advent of leadership catapulted his powers even further. Sangakkara enjoyed a great deal of success at the helm, leading Sri Lanka to wins in the tri-series in Bangladesh and defeating Asian-rivals, India. He also guided Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final. However, he stepped down from captaincy, following the agonizing loss in the final, realising the importance of ushering in the new age of Sri Lankan cricket aside from sharpening his own batsmanship. The same year, he was adjudged the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.
He confirmed his place in the pantheon of greats when he became the joint-fastest to scale 10,000 Test runs alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Second only to Sir Don Bradman in the list of double centuries, Sanga's monstrous appetite for runs grew with every passing game. In the company of Jaywardene, he inspired Sri Lanka to be a force to reckon with, even in overseas conditions. In the holy quartet of Sri Lankan cricket, if Arjuna Ranatunga was the creator, Sanath Jayasurya the destroyer, then Sanga and Mahela will be fondly remembered as the protectors.
Embarking upon a new era, Sangakkara endorsed his succession into the creator's shoes when he was at the forefront of Sri Lanka's memorable World T20 win in Bangladesh in April 2014. In a tense final, his unbeaten fifty shepherded Sri Lanka to the title to break the 'final vodoo' as they tasted their first major World event triumph since 1996. Aptly, Sangakkara and Mahela, bade farewell to T20I cricket with that title.
During the England series in Nov-Dec 2014, Sangakkara completed 13,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the fourth player to achieve this feat. He scored four consecutive half-centuries followed by a century in the series. In December, he also became the second Sri Lankan to compile 20 centuries in that format. On December 16, 2014, he played his final ODI on home soil and scored 33. He amassed 2868 runs in 2014, the most runs aggregated when we consider all formats of the game in a calendar year.
On January 4, 2015, in a Test against New Zealand, Sangakkara scored his 11th double ton. Only Sir Don Bradman with 12 double tons is ahead of him in that regard. He also surpassed 12,000 runs in Test cricket. Two weeks later, Sangakkara became the third highest run-scorer in ODIs, surpassing Jayasuriya. He also signed a two-year deal with Surrey at the start of 2015.
Sangakkara was in supreme form in the World Cup held in Australia. He amassed over 500 runs which included four centuries to his name. He became the first batsman to compose four tons in a single World Cup. After the World Cup, he hung up his spiked boots from ODIs. But continued to play in Tests until the series against against India in 2015. In his last Test at Colombo (PSS), he was given a guard of honour, when he walked out to bat by India's cricketers.
As much as he is stylish with the bat on the field, he is equally intelligent and effective off it. In an eloquent speech in 2011 at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Colin Cowdrey Lecture in Lord's, Sangakkara challenged Sri Lankan cricket's political establishment. He possesses a degree in law and is also known to be a voracious reader. Kumar Sangakkara is a complete person in the truest sense of the word.
Lesser known facts about
During the England series in Nov-Dec 2014, Sangakkara completed 13,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the fourth player to achieve this feat. He scored four consecutive half-centuries followed by a century in the series. In December, he also became the second Sri Lankan to compile 20 centuries in that format. On December 16, 2014, he played his final ODI on home soil and scored 33. He amassed 2868 runs in 2014, the most runs aggregated when we consider all formats of the game in a calendar year.
On January 4, 2015, in a Test against New Zealand, Sangakkara scored his 11th double ton. Only Sir Don Bradman with 12 double tons is ahead of him in that regard. He also surpassed 12,000 runs in Test cricket. Two weeks later, Sangakkara became the third highest run-scorer in ODIs, surpassing Jayasuriya. He also signed a two-year deal with Surrey at the start of 2015.
Sangakkara was in supreme form in the World Cup held in Australia. He amassed over 500 runs which included four centuries to his name. He became the first batsman to compose four tons in a single World Cup. After the World Cup, he hung up his spiked boots from ODIs. But continued to play in Tests until the series against against India in 2015. In his last Test at Colombo (PSS), he was given a guard of honour, when he walked out to bat by India's cricketers.
As much as he is stylish with the bat on the field, he is equally intelligent and effective off it. In an eloquent speech in 2011 at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Colin Cowdrey Lecture in Lord's, Sangakkara challenged Sri Lankan cricket's political establishment. He possesses a degree in law and is also known to be a voracious reader. Kumar Sangakkara is a complete person in the truest sense of the word.
Lesser known facts about
Sangakkara:
1. Sangakkara became the youngest person to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture at Lord's.
2. Sangakkara is the partner of Foundation of Goodness, a charity launched by former team-mate and close friend, Muttiah Muralitharan.
3. He represented Sri Lanka Schools in Tennis before switching to the gentleman's game.
1. Sangakkara became the youngest person to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture at Lord's.
2. Sangakkara is the partner of Foundation of Goodness, a charity launched by former team-mate and close friend, Muttiah Muralitharan.
3. He represented Sri Lanka Schools in Tennis before switching to the gentleman's game.
He was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2011 and 2015. He is one of two players to have won this award twice, along with Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who won the award in 2008 and 2009.
On 29 January 2015, Sangakkara became Sri Lanka's highest ever ODI run scorer, surpassing the previous record of 13,430 runs held by Sanath Jayasuriya. In the same match, he also broke the record for ODI wicketkeeping dismissals, breaking the previous record of 472 held by Adam Gilchrist.
Sangakkara included three of his countrymen in his side as he sifted through the best players from his international career, with the criteria that he must have played with or against those selected.
Impassioned Sri Lankan supporters push Kumar Sangakarra to the title ahead of India's Sachin Tendulkar
Kumar Sangakkara is the overwhelming fans' favourite for the crown of cricket dot com/ au. One-Day International Greatest of All Time after an exhaustive online polling process.
Sangakkara's highly motivated and extremely passionate supporters delivered the title to the Sri Lankan star, who received more votes than India's Sachin Tendulkar in the final.
