Every fan is invested in the career of their favourite players, and I’d rather remember a great legacy like that of Kumar Sangakkara than a grand goodbye like Sachin’s.
I loved watching Brian Lara. I was upset when Lara retired, not just because he would be no more, but because I felt he went prematurely. He retired in 2006/7, when he was 36, but when I was just 13.
This feeling of being robbed of a few golden years of Lara, was compounded when contemporaries like Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Shiv Chanderpaul and others, continued right until they were 40.
The question of when to go is really a dilemma that bugs fans as well as players. On the one hand, you want to see your favourite players play on and on, but on the other hand, everyone forges a legacy, that must end at some point.
I remember Lara walking off in his final innings, thinking that he could have carried on, but in recent years, I’ve had to change my view. His abrupt ending was not right, but at the same time, Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy was arguably tarnished by his decision to play on too long.
He played on until 2013, when he was 40. But he had scored just over 500 runs in his last 15 Tests. He was playing for numbers and records, chasing a nice figures, like getting to 200 Tests, 100 international hundreds, and 15,000 runs.
Like the three bears, if Sachin played too long, and Lara was cut off prematurely, one batsman got it just right, and is perhaps the model for future great retirees.
Despite being fifth on the all-time Test run scoring list, Kumar Sangakkara is so often overlooked as a true ‘great’. But, perhaps one hallmark of greatness, is knowing when to quit.
His exit was slow, starting with International retirement in 2015, done at a time when he could have continued. He scored 1,400runs in 2014, averaging over 70. He left us wanting more.
Despite having no more international ambitions (unlike Sachin and Brian Lara) after retiring Kumar Sangakkara climbed down to domestic cricket. He scored a thousand First Class runs for Surrey, averaged in the mid-forties in List A cricket, and got through 46 T20s in 2016.
He recognised that retirement is a process that requires the sequential relinquishing of responsibilities.
This week, in an interview with Island Cricket, the Sri Lankan Legend shows no regrets. Speaking about his retirement, he said:
… my mind was made up at that time and I was not going to think of reasons that were quite selfish [to continue] … in my view, when you know it is time to go, no matter what is in front of you, you have to make a decision and stick to it.
He fulfilled his desire to carry on in some capacity, whilst not jeopardising the legacy he’d built up.
Sadly, he has got to the bottom rung of the ladder. Kumar has just been dropped by his Big Bash League side, the Hobart Hurricanes after scoring just 173 runs at 14.41 without a fifty.
Damian Wright, the coach spoke about dropping Sangakkara, saying it “was comfortably the hardest thing I’ve had to do… because of the quality person that he is”. He says: “You could feel he probably knew it was coming. He was pretty apologetic that he hasn’t gone as well he would have liked it.’”
Retirement might be hard, but remembering a batsman’s retirement is the biggest curse a player can have. I’ll remember Sachin walking down the steps for the last time, and I’ll remember Lara walking off for the last time. I can’t remember Sanga’s last Test.
He showed no regrets about retirement or bitterness from his decline. He showed no greed to carry on for Sri Lanka, but a hunger to continue in another capacity.
Not being able to remember Sangakkara’s finale is the biggest complement one can pay him.
Jack Mendel
I can only agree. As a Surrey supporter it has been a joy to have him playing for us. I have heard many stories from supporters and players saying how much he has helped the team and shared his experiences with the younger players, but in an understated way. He appears a true gentleman and a credit to his team and his country.
A fabulous player – truly a great of the game. And yet, speaking purely personally, no achievement on the field has outshone his outstanding Spirit of Cricket lecture in 2011. Here is someone who has stood up and been counted as cricketer and also as a man.
Kumar Sangakarra is my favourite cricketer of all time. Beautiful to watch and with such outstanding personal qualities to go with it.
As you say, his Spirit of Cricket lecture was outstanding. I’ve never heard better. He will be remembered with fondness, by all.
I’ve read a number of the Spirit of Cricket lectures, and you’re right: Sanga was outstanding. For those interested, there’s a link to the Lord’s website with transcripts of all the lectures here. https://www.lords.org/mcc/mcc-spirit-of-cricket/mcc-spirit-of-cricket-cowdrey-lecture/
I wonder if Kumar will go into coaching or the media? It would be great if he stays within the game. Lots to offer. I think he’s certainly an all time great. 130 odd tests, 13000+ runs, nearly 40 centuries and an average of 57 is absolutely top draw by any standards. England haven’t had anyone close to Sangakarra’s quality for decades imho.
Sanga’s last two series were pretty ordinary and suggest that if anything he played on in Tests a bit too long. He averaged 23.75 in his last series against India and 25.5 in his penultimate series against Pakistan. Both series were at home. I watched a lot of both series and the stats aren’t lying – he looked all at sea against Yasir Shah and Ashwin.
Sanga had of course wanted to retire earlier and was talked into playing against India because of fears about how SL would go without him. Their batting in the recent SA series (nobody making over 60 in 3 Tests) show those fears were pretty justified. Only that home win on some ragging bunsens against Australia interrupts what has been a pretty desperate period for SL cricket.
As someone who has retired gradually over the by working part time over the past couple of years, I completely agree that you have to know when and how to go.
Sangakarra was truely one of the great batsmen of the modern era.
If there was someone in the modern game to youngsters and say ‘that’s how hard you need to train and thsts how to act on the field’.. sanga was the one.
Legend is over used but he’s up there.
You’re a little harsh on Ricky Ponting – he played his last test at just short of 38. He had been fading for a time before that, and had relinquished the captaincy to ease the transition to Michael Clarke, but he remained a very good player. He played his last first class game about 7 months later (for Surrey – final innings 169*). In the time between those 2 games, he’d scored heavily in the second half of his final Sheffield Shield season.
Kumar Sangakkara’s Big Bash finale was pretty poignant – this great, great player and thoroughly decent person found himself coming in with his team needing him to start swinging immediately – and he kept smacking the ball but finding a fieldsman. Luckily T20 memories fade very quickly.
Have been reading this blog from afar for a couple of years, thought I might make comment here.
As a Hobart resident and supporter of the Hurricanes, it has been sad to watch this player during the Big Bash. Yes he has come in at difficult times in the innings but to me, he just looked out of sorts and lacking confidence. From an eight game fixture, he was dropped after game 5 (from memory).
On the other hand, I have enjoyed watching Stuart Broad, he even hit the winning runs to keep the Hurricane’s season alive. Never thought I would be cheering for an Englishman, what a strange game is cricket at times.
I would love to see Broady stick it to the Brisbane Heat … the local paper there gave him one hell of a hard time over his decision not to walk in the Ashes! Would be quite funny.
Welcome Steve. Good to know we have readers down under.
Steve, I got the impression things spiralled downwards a bit for Sangakkara – a couple of early failures caused some anxiety and the more he tried the worse things became.
James, the Courier Mail (the local paper you refer to, now and for some time a dreadful rag) did get up to some antics with Broad (which mostly seemed to involve not naming him in articles leading up to the game or reports on it and instead referring to him as the “27-year-old medium pace bowler”). They probably did say more if you bothered to read it (I couldn’t be!), but I’d call it more a tongue in cheek stunt than a “hell of a hard time”. The Gabba crowd boo-ed him pretty consistently – but they were doing much the same with Pietersen, Trott, Cook, Swann and Anderson so far as I recall (I went on the 3rd day – not as good as the second, but still pretty good!). I got the impression Broad was happy to be the cartoon villain. I also believe no actual cricket followers really thought he should have walked.
Tymal Mills has been playing for the Heat as you might have noticed so you shouldn’t be unhesitatingly backing against them! What a waste if that’s the only sort of cricket he’s able to play.
I can’t imagine most Australians thought Broad should have walked. As if … (other than Gilly). I believe Mills has a medical issue (back?) which prevents him playing longer form cricket (like Shaun Tait). It’s a pity: England could do with a left arm quick bowler (David Willey is not quick).
There are a few in the Big Bash who can’t seem to call it a day. Brad Hodge, Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg, who seems to actually get better with age.
Perhaps the oddest “retirement” though is MS Dhoni who has retired from test cricket, but is continuing in the Indian one day team, and giving up the captaincy to boot.
I agree though, once you are a bit over the hill, perhaps it’s best to go gracefully.
Sanga to me was a total class act, and a test average of 57.4 (nestled between Sir Garry Sobers and Sir Jack Hobbs – judge a man by the company he keeps) shows the class of the player. Yes, “bigger bats”, “better pitches”, etc but no one else has managed it. Not Sachin, not Lara, not Kallis (perhaps the most underrated modern great), not Ponting. I think players who rely mainly on the eye (Lara, Sehwag) tend to retire earlier than those who rely on technique (Dravid, Sachin, Shiv).
And that average of 57.4 is dragged down from 66.8 from games where he wasn’t keeping wicket (as a keeper he averaged 40.5). Simply phenomenal.
Thanks for saving me from having to look that up! I’m unlikely to ever admit anyone was a good as Sir Viv, but Sanga is the equal of Sachin and Lara in my book.