Kumar Sangakkara Retires...
A batsman of Sangakkara's stature, doesn't require another tribute. Those will spread their wings throughout the internet in abundance and rightly so as one of the greatest batsmen to ever walk this planet retires prior to having the opportunity to equal and surpass a bunch of individual records of dizzying heights.
That's not his style though, hence he has retired.
Sri Lankan cricket has been at a very interesting crossroads over the past few years where players who will go down as a few of their best, move on with their lives. Two blokes stand head and shoulders above the rest with Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene being certainties in any Sri Lankan cricket team that I can remember.
But we now enter a time where there will be no Sanga or Mahela, talk about not knowing what's around the corner. The presence of these two men would have eased the nerves of many Sri Lankan players and fans, their composure, their skill, their leadership and their mere being of existence is to be marveled at.
Sangakkara wasn't going to lurk longer than was needed and with Jayawardene retiring first, there was a chance that Sangakkara could guide this new Sri Lanka. That took place for a matter of months really and Sri Lanka now find themselves in the deep end of the pool, no more floaties, without the calming presence of their greats.
In Angelo Mathews Sri Lanka have a player who has/should have soaked all sorts of wisdom and cricket knowledge up from Sangakkara and Jayawardene. Right now, Sri Lanka look like a youth cricket team where the best player is the captain, the opening bowler and the best batsman. Is that a bad thing?
I'm honestly not sure. Having Mathews as a beacon of leadership and ability could be argued as a great positive as Sri Lanka look to move on; he's the sort of player that you can build a team around.
On the other hand Sri Lanka are largely without a strike bowler, which has been the case on and off since Muttiah Muralitharan retired, while the lack of reliable international batsmen is something new to get used to.
Would you rather have a single being as the man, the man in terms of both 'oh he's the man' and 'he's the man to lead us'? Or would you rather have class across the board ready to go?
The answer should always be a bit of both, so it's now the job of Sri Lankan cricket to find batsmen and bowlers who can consistently score runs and take 20 wickets. Mathews can chip in, but his greatest asset is the length of time he's been in this team and the players he has played with. The pieces he has at his disposal will the key.
A major problem for Sri Lanka is that the have a large group of cricketers who have struggled to push on, lacking players who look like they could work their way into the 'world class' category, lingering in the team over recent years.
It goes without saying that when you take two phenomenal players out of any sports team, there will be struggles afterwards. But it does present a great opportunity and a storyline in world cricket that will be interesting to keep tabs on.
Part of the hole left by Sangakkara and Jayawardene has been filled by Mathews. There's uncertainty around who will be the next dude, whether there will be a young player who can rival the world's best, but the values and vibe left by Sangakkara and Jayawardene should remain in tact. If Mathews and Sri Lanka can continue to unite their country, offering hope and happiness in the way the play their cricket, then the results will come.
“My loyalty will be to the ordinary Sri Lankan fan … they are my foundation, they are my family. I will play my cricket for them. Their spirit is the true spirit of cricket. With me are all my people. I am Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim and Burgher. I am a Buddhist, a Hindu, a follower of Islam and Christianity. I am today, and always, proudly Sri Lankan.” Kumar Sangakkara