Two contemporary great batsmen and great ambassadors of the game Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Michael John Clarke of Australia are poised for bowing out of cricket scene soon after appearing in their last tests in Sri Lanka and England. For their batting skills they entertained world cricket. World Cricket will definitely get poorer when these two touch artists finally hangs up their bat after entertaining cricket fans all over the world brilliant display of excellent batsman ship.
True they are not comparable with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar or Brian Charles Lara but on their own ways they have done enough to be remembered among the all-time great batsmen ever to have played cricket.
While Sri Lanka is on a high after a historic win against India, Australia has already surrendered Ashes to arch rival England. We are sure cricket will move on and new heroes will continue to emerge but whatever these two greats have contributed will be written in the letters of gold in world cricket. Both were kingpin in their batting line up and both played so many match winning innings in different circumstances.
Batting:
KC Sangakkara
MJ Clarke
Anyone averaging over 50 in tests and over 40 in ODI must be rated as great batsman and they were in contrasting style. While Clarke had the blessing of a player in a great team for the most of his career, Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan had to fight out together in taking their team among the top. Many thinks Sangakkara is still good enough for playing for another two seasons but he thought its time to say good bye while the sun is still shining. On the other hand Clarke who suffered spells of injury and difficult time with cricket administration could have better to sign off after leading his team to last world cup win. His performance with the bat and his leadership has come under serious scrutiny off late. But setting aside both were genius with their bat and presenters of many wonderful moments to world cricket.
Sangakkara:
Kumar Sangakkara, an elegant stroke player, a reliable keeper, an astute thinker, was the cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket heading for several years. This writer was fortunate of witnessing his memorable 192 in Hobart against Australia in 2007. Part of the modern generation of wicket keeper-batsmen, his versatility was the prime reason for his side’s success. He complimented with another great Mahela Jayewardene in taking Sri Lankan Cricket to great heights. In between them they set so many batting milestones for Sri Lankan cricket and made Sri Lanka a formidable team in world cricket.
Sangakkara reached the peak of his prowess under the leadership of his good mate Mahela Jayawardene, having a prolific run in both Test and ODI formats of the game. He compiled a monumental 287 in the company of Mahela as the duo put on 624 and sucked the life out of the South African bowling attack while rewriting first class cricket record books. His counter-attacking century on a green pitch in Wellington in 2006-07 besides emphasizing his class showcased his skill to crack open bowlers on any surface.
He was equally prolific in Tests and ODIs. He also played with great success for his IPL franchise.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene remained as nucleus of Sri Lankan batting for a long time and their retirement in quick succession may rock the Lankan team which is now in the process of rebuilding. Apart from cricket he is a great personality off the field and has a great sense of humor. This writer have met many Sri Lankans who admirer him for sportsmanship and human values.
MJ Clarke
Michael Clarke is to retire as one of cricket’s greatest players, but it is his appetite for performing on the biggest stages that will ensure he is never far from the cricketing psyche. Whether it was during Australia’s glory years or the mediocre stretch from 2010 through 2013, the man known as Pup is one of the games most ruthless run scorers.
It is mind-boggling to think just how much longer he could have tormented bowlers around the world if not for a degenerative back issue that almost certainly contributed to his persistent hamstring injuries in the latter stage of his career.
His body’s betrayal robbed him of, among other things, his footwork and, in turn, a huge chunk of his ability to terrorise bowlers by forcing them to constantly adjust their plans.
Currently on 8,628 runs, Clarke would finish fourth on Australia’s list of leading Test run scorers with just Ricky Ponting (13,378), Allan Border (11,174) and Steve Waugh (10,927) in front of him. The last ashes test at oval is his swansong. With the ashes already lost world cricket will watch with rapt attention how a hero bows out.
A recurring back trouble at the peak of his career impacted upon his performance. His leadership has also been often questioned. While Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh had the luxury of great all round players at their disposal Clarke had to deal with a maturing team. Yet his winning the world Cup and winning most matches at home from late 2014 against all opposition proves that he was not a bad tactician. The batting failed miserably in Ashes and the strong bowling unit could do little after poor shows with the bat. A captain can only do as much as the team has quality to deliver. Clarke must not be assessed only for the failure of the team in the current Ashes.
This writer had the opportunity of watching both Sangakkara and Clarke in different formats of the game. Both are great players in their contrasting styles. Circumstances alter cases. While one can retire on a high with his team winning series against strong India the other had to return home with the pains and agony of losing the ashes. Few leading players including Clarke will retire. Australia will then have to play a resurging Bangladesh team in Bangladesh with a new look team under a new captain Steve Smith.
I take my hats off for the two great ambassadors of the game at their twilight time and wish them sunny days ahead.
BDST: 0945 HRS, AUG 20, 2015
SR
