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Sanga is the best
wicket-keeper batsman! |
A Tribute to Sangakkara from
Syed Ahsan Ali, July 15, 2007
 He
talks sense, he keeps well and he bats
splendidly. Yeah, I am talking about the batsman
who hit another double hundred in two
consecutive Test matches. Yeah, probably and
arguably the best wicket-keeper batsman of this
current set of affairs, Kumar Sangakkara.
Although, terminology of cricket make you feel
as if wicket-keeper batsman is someone who can
bat to a moderate extent, and holds great
command on keeping, rather a wicket-keeper who
can bat a bit. But Sangakkara is someone who
earns this tag on the basis of his first class
efforts in both departments, certainly not only
on the expertise in his job behind the wickets.
We can safely say that he is a safe man behind
the stumps and even safer and consistent in
front of them.
Cricket scene is blessed
extensively these days in having one of the
finest talents of wicket-keeper batsmen at world
stage. But one distinction which Sanga holds in
his favor is his merit of being in the pedigree
of genuine batsman which other wicket-keepers
around the world fail to have it with their
names, on that account even Gilchrist does not
qualify for that bracket. I know many of you
will find this comment about Gilchrist hard to
digest, but genuinely I believe the Aussie
wicket-keeper is not in the same shelf where we
can place Sanga when it comes to the comparison
of their batting skills.
 Sangakkara,
if you allow me to dare, that after these two
recent knocks which both yielded in excess of
200 runs each time, he has to be somewhere in
league of Dravid and Kallis. It is an
exceptional league of batsmen who not only score
heavily, but they disallow bowlers to scathe
their teams from one end. Test batting is hugely
different than any other form of batting. In
this, you have to do three to four tasks at the
same time and batsmen who do all these
multifarious tasks consistently and masterfully
feel free to claim for the title of genuine Test
batsman. The task of making big runs, the task
of making them at a pace which tire out
opposition, the task of having immaculate
defense to make one end safe and lastly to do it
all three in pressure situations are the
requirements from a top class test batsman.
Sangakkara has been doing it match after match
with kind of ease, composure and confidence that
he seems to be a far more reliable batsman in
the Sri Lankan batting line up in spite of the
presence of Jayawardene who is another gem but
definitely in a different mould. It is always
good to see the batsman who knows his
limitations and makes most of the opportunities
that come his way. Sangakkara definitely knows
his game and most often than not gauges the
level of intensity of his opponent which is the
quality that certainly distinguishes him from
others.
The recent 200 not out at Colombo and 222 not
out at Kandy may have come against the toothless
Bangladeshi attack but things will become far
clearer when he encores the same against all
other top teams as well. But for the time-being
he is the toast of the Sri Lankan cricket and
probably one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen
of our time.
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