JOIN US It came as no surprise to anyone when Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Matthews was bombarded with questions about Kumar Sangakkara, the legend who is set to bid goodbye to international cricket after the second Test against India at Colombo next week.
Answering all of them, the all-rounder who is set to play in his 50th Test come Wednesday, said the team is geared up to give Sangakkara a glorious farewell.
On Sangakkara farewell: We are all geared up and we want to give him a good farewell. He’s been a great servant for Sri Lanka cricket and for the team and we are very thankful to him for what we are today. Our team is in a better position because of players like Sanga, Mahela (Jayawardene), and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan. So now it’s up to the younger generation to take responsibility and show what we are capable of but we are very thankful for Sanga for the way he has performed for over the last 15 years and easily the most consistent batsman I have seen. I haven’t seen the great Donald Bradman but Sanga is easily the most consistent batsman I’ve ever seen. We learnt a lot from him.
On what Sanga means to him: He has been fantastic in the last eight years of my career. He has helped me personally. He is always willing to help the young guys and whenever you play a bad shot he comes up to us and says that we can play in a better way and gives confidence to the youngsters. We learnt a lot from him and we are thankful for who he has been for the team on and off the field. He is our go-to man.
On what it’s like without Sangakkara in the team: It’s going to be a tough ask. It’s quite easy to captain with players like Sanga and Mahela. They've had enough experience and now it’s going to be a fairly tough job with the team is going through a transition period. We have to be patient with the younger guys who need to be given exposure in the international arena.