Captain in waiting

by Srian OBEYESEKERE

In a captaincy transition smacking of Mahela Jayawardene's controversial exit in saucy going ons in cricket's hot bed that we find the winds blowing that must with it usher in the debonair Kumar Sangakkara to the job.

Indeed, sad as the timing of Jayawardene's exit is from a brazenly commendable run of the young torch bearer of a new era of Sri Lanka cricket who was groomed for the job almost from his early days of stepping out of Nalanda College, the somewhat anticipated induction of Sangakkara for what he has looked destined for ever since he stepped into the national team must also wring in a new chapter in our cricket.

Now that Mahela has abdicated whether wholly of his own accord or under pressure, an era that was in the air ever since Kumar Sangakkara stamped himself as a cricketer, not only for his immense potential of wielding the bat, but also for the promise he has shown as a potential reader of the game for the vast knowledge with which he has convinced the likes of Ian Chappell that here lies a sturdy future Sri Lanka captain, looks set to dawn after Mahela's last fling in the job against Pakistan. Unless of course, the fool hardy happens.

Not only has 'Sanga', as he is referred to in cricketing circles, been qualitative with the bat. Starting with a double century against Pakistan in Pakistan in his baptismal years in the team to that battling 197 against Australia in Australia two years ago that nearly single handedly won the match for Sri Lanka but for a controversial catch that never touched his bat, he has been similarly so in his comments on the game whenever interviewed by the media. If Jayawardene, after an old order from Ranatunga to Jayasuriya, Tillekeratne and Atapattu, had succeeded in translating our cricket in the international hemisphere with what was to become the best captaincy record for his brazen batting in plodding to big scores, and leadership qualities - though of course in Sri Lanka batting annals Aravinda de Silva must rate above any other for making batting sweet music, one atom of which is that epic world cup winning century against the world's best bowling attack in the world - the Australians - Sangakkara at age 29 must look adventurous with the world at his feat.

That at such an age he has 17 Test centuries from 78 outings and 10 tons from 246 one-day matches must certainly swell his standing in the game that could have read still more amazing had he translated most of his 21 half centuries in Tests and 48 half tons in ODIs into three figures but for a slight impetuousness that he needs to curb when in full flow.

Blessed with an attacking repertoire of strokes to fluent timing, it is this trait that spiralled him in almost double quick time into the international fold ever since his Test debut on July 20, 2000 and ODI baptism on July 5, 2000 to reaching the high point of being rated the No.1 Test batsman in the world ahead of Australian Ricky Ponting; just eight years in the business.

As a wicket-keeper he has fast developed as a specialist in the job though in recent years bowing down to selectors pressure to hand over the Test job to Prasanna Jayawardene.

What has led the cricketing world including people like Ian Chappell, regarded as one of Australia's best captains to praise Sangakkara's cricket has been all those traits that the boy from Kandy's Trinity College in the hill country, not the least his gift of the gab that has vexed eloquent.

While the Sri Lankan cricketing public must salute the unselfish Mahela at 34 years for stepping down presumably after one terrible summer that saw three home ODI defeats in 25 years and other factors beyond his means that the grapevine is doing, indeed Kumar Sangakkara is all spruced to step in and take Sri Lanka cricket hopefully into another millennium.