Sangakkara And The Dying Generation

Test cricket is full of new horizons and false dawns.  Eras will come and go. Players will light up the cricketing world for generations only to pass the flame onto the next generation.

Since the start of 2011, an entire generation of Test batsman has been fading over the horizon into pastures new. Some of the all-time greats; Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting and the almighty Chris Martin to name a few. 

As the greats have departed, a new breed has emerged. The likes of Ponting and Tendulkar left the mere mortal purring with admiration at the artistry of their stroke play; the new breed is beginning to dazzle us with a different form of artistic stroke play. Less Michelangelo, more Picasso.

Alas, there is one final push of the treasured art form of batsmanship that spread throughout the 21^st century.  Younis Khan spent a vast proportion of 2014 either firmly lodged in the deep-set, spike-drawn lines in the batting crease or in the habitual nightmares of Australian bowlers.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul continues to perplex and inspire as his quest to fulfill a seemingly career-long ambition of beginning his stance facing the wrong direction continues. Shuffling crab-like towards the stumps like only a like-minded hermit can, Shiv somehow manages to make the crease his home as he churns runs out whilst his more orthodox partners crumple in a heap.

There is one more fighting the new breed. The greatest batsman of the generation left in the game. Possibly, the greatest batsman since Bradman on raw numbers alone.

Kumar Sangakkara’s name often gets lost in tales of the great batsman of the recent era – of any era, actually.

The best batsman? Tendulkar.

The best all-rounder? Kallis.

The best left-hander? Lara.

Sangakkara can potentially lay claim to all three titles.

Sangakkara’s average (at the time of writing) is an eye-watering 58.94 which places him sixth in the highest average table for those who have played twenty or more Test matches. Incidentally, he has the highest average for anyone with over 100 innings in Test matches. The nearest challenger of his era is that of Jacques Kallis who is a comparatively huge 3 runs behind on average.

On raw numbers, Sangakkara is the greatest of the modern era. It’s as simple as that. Sangakkara currently has over 12,000 runs and he moved there quicker than anyone else and he moved there during an 11^th double hundred. Second to only the ‘Don’ himself.

The consideration for best all-rounder of the modern era is a contentious one. Bowling prowess was one of very few gifts unbestowed to the Sri Lankan. The sight of Sangakkara getting lose to bowl was the equivalent of the Sri Lankan’s hoisting the man himself up in the whites of his uniform to flag for mercy. 

However, in 42 tests, Sangakkara was entrusted behind the stumps. Hard enough on Sri Lankan pitches. Harder still with a spinner perplexing batsman with every delivery but Kumar was wise to the tricks of Muralitharan and the two became a fixture in the wickets column.  

During his wicket-keeping days, Sangakkara averaged 40.48. A significant drop from his career average but still sixth all-time for wicket-keepers who played 20 Tests or more. Since then, his average has soared to 69.85 over 82 games with a mind-boggling century rate of 1 every 2.5 games.

At the end of their careers, Tendulkar and Ponting amongst many others in the era began to suffer a severe decline in their batting that ultimately led to the end of their careers. Sangakkara has been heading in the opposite direction. The Benjamin Button of cricket.

As Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and the new breed of batsman take the art of batting into uncharted territory and cross over the horizon; the game will have left behind true artists. 

Some artists of joy and love, some of pure belligerence and some that will be in the hearts of many for generations to come. Sangakkara will be in the hearts of the cricketing world long after the game bids him farewell.