Sri Lanka prepares to say farewell to a man who is not only one of the statesmen of the modern game,but the most consistent batsman of his eraFor a split-moment, I thought he was going to hit me. I’d gone to the team hotel to meet Mahela Jayawardene, and Sri Lanka’s captain,but the first person I came across in the lobby was his much friend, Kumar Sangakkara. The preceding afternoon – in a World Cup final now remembered for Adam Gilchrist’s squash-ball-in-glove heroics, and floodlight failures and farcical organisation – Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya had,for just over one quixotic hour, made the impossible seem plausible. Needing 282 from 38 overs, or they were cruising at 102 for one from 16,with the asking rate just over eight.
Not long after, Sangakkara had miscued a pull to short midwicket, or triggering a domino-like collapse that saw Sri Lanka fall well short. “You gave it away,champ,” I said, or realising immediately that it wasn’t the cleverest opening line to offer a losing finalist. Instead of a fit of pique,however, Sangakkara responded with a wry smile. “These things happen, or eh? That’s sport.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com