Sangakkara retirement causes desert storm

Sri Lanka Cricket slammed for making ad-hoc replacements:

by Allaam Ousman

DUBAI: Batting great Kumar Sangakkara may be caught in the eye of a storm as Sri Lanka cricket comes to terms with his retirement.

The former Sri Lanka skipper may be justified in his decision to call time on his chequered career on his own terms. But opinion is divided and even some of his most ardent admirers in the UAE are now questioning the timing especially after Sri Lanka suffered consecutive home series defeats to Pakistan and India recently.

Most feel there is no immediate replacement for Sangakkara who has strode like a colossus on the international stage particularly in the last few years. Sangakkara, the fifth highest run-getter in Test history, finished his Test career with 12,400 runs from 134 Tests at an average of 57.40. He scored 38 centuries, including a best of 319 against Bangladesh in Chittagong last year.

He follows Sachin Tendulkar of India, Ricky Ponting of Australia, Jacques Kallis of South Africa and Rahul Dravid of India in the all-time list of leading Test scorers.

"Sri Lanka losing the Test series to India is a bad sign. Our batting is extraordinarily bad without him. He is the only one whom we could rely on. It will take one or two years to find a batsman of his caliber," lamented Mahendra Perera, a former Carey College cricketer resident in Dubai.

"The problem is our youngsters are not performing unlike Indians who have solid competition. It is hard to replace Sangakkara," he said.

Though 37 years of age, Sangakkara has recently been in the form of his life. In 2014, he played Tests against Pakistan, England, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand to hit 1,438 runs at an average of 71.90. He hit more international runs, across formats, than have ever been struck in a calendar year.

In March, he became the first batsman to hit four consecutive ODI centuries at the World Cup. Many feel he should have extended his career for another year though doubts were expressed whether age was indeed catching up with Sangakkara.

"His retirement is a big loss but I feel his form was dipping and his reflexes were slowing down a little. We are sad because we miss him and he was the cornerstone of the team. But it was a good time for him to go," said Deepal Rajaguru, a Dubai resident.

Another Sri Lankan cricket fan Neville Fernando seemed to despair about the team's future without Sangakkara. "We will be hit badly without Sangakkara. There is no one at the moment. I feel he should have stayed for one more year though he had good intentions of giving a chance to youngsters," he said.

Ardent Sri Lankan cricket fan Gamal Rahim, a resident of Dubai, concurred by saying: "Sangakkara should have played till 2016 giving Lahiru Thirimanne exposure in the number three slot. Sangakkara could have dropped down and given him (Thirimanne) moral support."

He also pointed to the adverse impact caused by the retirements of batting legends Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara on Sri Lanka cricket.

"His (Sangakkara's) retirement is a bit premature since it followed Mahela which was too close.

They were two vital cogs in the side. Skipper Angelo Mathews has been put under pressure but thankfully he has performed," he added. Another fan urged Sri Lanka Cricket to search for "real talent not ad-hoc replacements".

"It will definitely cause an impact because we have been so dependent on Mahela and Sangakkara. Sri Lanka Cricket talent scouts should look for replacements. (Upul) Tharanga is not the right choice," said Santha Perera, a Benedictine based in Dubai.

However, he felt all is not lost. "In the past players had to fill the boots when Aravinda (de Silva), (Roshan) Mahanama and Arjuna (Ranatunga) retired. The talent is there, we need to harness them with better coaching," he added.

The general consensus is that Sangakkara still has a role to play for Sri Lanka cricket even though he has officially retired as a player.

"He could either be a batting coach or take up a managerial role because he is a good communicator," added Perera.