5 irreplaceable cricketers in the game of cricket

Kumar Sangakkara

Often described as one of the ‘most polished and prudent of batsmen’ in cricket, Kumar Sangakkara along with Mahela Jayawardene carried the Sri Lankan batting lineup on their shoulders for almost 15 years. Sangakkara was an elegant batsman, a very reliable keeper and a sharp and intelligent thinker of the game. He is also one of the few cricketers who holds the record of scoring 10,000 runs in both tests and ODIs.

He played a very important role in helping Sri Lanka to achieve balance in their team. He also did a fantastic role as captain of the Lankan side and guided his team to the 2011 World Cup final. If Arjuna Ranatunga is remembered as the creator of Sri Lanka cricket, Sanath Jayasuriya as the destroyer, then Sangakkara along with Mahela were the protectors of Lankan cricket.

Since Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement from international cricket, the Sri Lanka team has gone in a downward spiral. The Lankans are still finding someone to fill the big shoes of Kumar Sangakkara but it will be quite hard to replace the class and elegance of the southpaw.