59 Facts About Kumar Sangakkara

1.

Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain of the team.

2.

Kumar Sangakkara won the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2012 and won many other awards for both Test and ODI cricket.

3.

Kumar Sangakkara was selected as Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2012 and 2015 editions of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, becoming the second player to have won this award twice.

4.

Kumar Sangakkara was rated as the Greatest ODI player of all time in a public poll conducted by Cricket Australia in 2016.

5.

Kumar Sangakkara won the Man of the Match in the finals of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 tournament 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.

6.

Kumar Sangakkara won the Man of the Match award in the final of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, where he helped Sri Lanka win their first title.

7.

Kumar Sangakkara was born in Matale, Central Province, near the city of Kandy, in 1977.

8.

Kumar Sangakkara's parents sheltered Tamil families during the Black July riots in 1983.

9.

At the age of 22, Kumar Sangakkara made his Test debut on 20 July 2000, in the first of three-match series against South Africa.

10.

Kumar Sangakkara then received his first man of the match award in the 2nd match of the Singer Triangular Series, 2000, scoring 85 runs against South Africa.

11.

Kumar Sangakkara scored his first double-century against Pakistan in 2002, at the 2nd Asian Test Championship final.

12.

When Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh in February 2006 regular captain Marvan Atapattu was injured and Mahela Jayawardene became captain while Kumar Sangakkara was made vice-captain.

13.

Pakistan toured Sri Lanka for two Test and three ODIs in March 2006, and with Atapattu still injured Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara remained captain and vice-captain respectively.

14.

In July 2006, Kumar Sangakkara made his second-highest Test score to-date against South Africa.

15.

Kumar Sangakkara's skill was recognised worldwide when he earned selection for the ICC World XI One-Day International team that competed against Australia in the Johnnie Walker Series in October 2005.

16.

Kumar Sangakkara was one of the winners of the 2008 inaugural Cricinfo awards for outstanding batting in Test cricket.

17.

Kumar Sangakkara was named in the World Test XI by the ICC in 2010.

18.

In November 2006, Kumar Sangakkara was included in the ICC World XI Test team.

19.

Kumar Sangakkara said he believed that it would give his successor around two years to build up to the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

20.

Kumar Sangakkara was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by Cricinfo for the 2009 T20I World Cup.

21.

Kumar Sangakkara was named as captain and wicket keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2011 World Cup by the ICC.

22.

Kumar Sangakkara was named as captain and wicket keeper of the 2011 World Test XI by the ICC and named in the 2012 World Test XI and ODI XI.

23.

Kumar Sangakkara struggled with his form when England toured Sri Lanka in 2012.

24.

Kumar Sangakkara decided to retire from T20 internationals after playing the 2014 ICC World Twenty20.

25.

Kumar Sangakkara under-performed in the World T20, but in the final match against India, he scored 51 not out off just 33 balls making his team win their second ICC trophy since 1996.

26.

On 3 December 2014 Kumar Sangakkara reached 13,000 runs in One-day internationals in the third match of the series at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota, and became the fourth player in One-day history to achieve the feat after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya.

27.

On 4 January 2015, Kumar Sangakkara scored his 38th test century by making 203 against New Zealand during the second match of the 2 Test match series.

28.

On 14 February 2015, Kumar Sangakkara became the second highest run scorer in One-Day International history, by surpassing Australian Ricky Ponting.

29.

Kumar Sangakkara achieved this milestone during the first match of 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup against New Zealand, but Sri Lanka lost the match.

30.

On 26 February 2015 in 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup against Bangladesh, Kumar Sangakkara scored his 22nd ODI century in his 400th appearance in One-Day Internationals.

31.

Kumar Sangakkara only scored 45 runs, it was Sri Lanka's first World Cup defeat in a quarter final after 1999.

32.

Kumar Sangakkara was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2015 World Cup by the ICC.

33.

On 1 April 2015, Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake stated that Kumar Sangakkara should reconsider his intention to retire in August 2015.

34.

On 27 June 2015, Kumar Sangakkara officially announced his retirement from Test cricket as well.

35.

In November 2020, Kumar Sangakkara was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, and the award for ODI cricketer of the decade.

36.

Kumar Sangakkara delivered the 2011 Marylebone Cricket Club Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lords.

37.

In January 2019, Kumar Sangakkara accepted an invitation from the incumbent President of the MCC Anthony Wreford to be his successor.

38.

The decision was announced on 1 May 2019, at which time Kumar Sangakkara became the President Designate.

39.

Kumar Sangakkara was awarded honorary life membership of the MCC in 2012 and joined its world cricket committee the same year.

40.

Kumar Sangakkara has become the first non-British President of Marylebone Cricket Club, with effect from 1 October 2019 for a period of one year which was extended for further one year till October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

41.

Kumar Sangakkara played against the Club in 2002, opening the batting for the touring Sri Lankans in a first-class match at Queen's Park Chesterfield.

42.

Kumar Sangakkara made his Twenty20 debut on 17 August 2004, for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the 2004 SLC Twenty20 Tournament.

43.

Kumar Sangakkara has played English county cricket with Warwickshire in the 2007 County Championship.

44.

In 2010, Kumar Sangakkara was contracted to represent Lancashire in the 2010 County Championship, but never represented the club because of international commitments.

45.

In January 2021, Kumar Sangakkara was named the director of cricket of Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2021, and subsequently the team's head coach.

46.

In 2015, Kumar Sangakkara joined the Quetta Gladiators of the Pakistan Super League.

47.

Kumar Sangakkara was later released by the franchise and was picked by Karachi Kings as captain for the 2017 edition.

48.

Kumar Sangakkara represented Surrey from 2015 till 2017, helping them win Division Two of LV= 2015 County Championship and gaining promotion to Division One for the Specsavers 2016 County Championship season.

49.

On 22 May 2017, Kumar Sangakkara announced that the following season would be his last in first-class cricket.

50.

Kumar Sangakkara, though retired from international cricket, participated in the 2015 Cricket All-Stars Series for Warne's Warriors under Shane Warne's captaincy.

51.

On 7 March 2016, Kumar Sangakkara was appointed as a member of Sri Lanka's selection committee by sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara.

52.

Kumar Sangakkara was appointed as Director of cricket for Rajasthan Royals in January, 2021.

53.

Kumar Sangakkara led the Rajasthan Royals to the 2022 IPL Final.

54.

In December 2011, Kumar Sangakkara collaborated with Mahela Jayawardene and veteran chef Dharshan Munidasa to open the Ministry of Crab which later went to become one of the top performing restaurants in Sri Lanka.

55.

Kumar Sangakkara handed his wicket-keeping duties in Test cricket to Prasanna Jayawardene in 2006.

56.

Kumar Sangakkara made his ICC TV commentary debut during the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy along with newcomers Brendon McCullum, Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting.

57.

Kumar Sangakkara was one of the commentators for the global broadcast of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019.

58.

Kumar Sangakkara has joined SkySports for commentary throughout the English summer of 2018.

59.

Kumar Sangakkara is a part of the IPL commentary panel in 2019 as well as in the 2020 edition that was taking place in the UAE.