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The Kumar Sangakkara Mega thread

Sakss

Sakss

Test Debutant
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Runs
14,207
Sangakkara now has 34 Test hundreds equalling Brian Lara and Sunil Gavaskar.
Out of his 34 centuries 18 have been in a winning cause so far at an average of 74.

Is he the greatest left handed batsmen ever or will end up as one? Better than Brian Charles Lara? :taufeeq
 
he is certainly an ATG but many wont rate him even above gilly.
 
Sobers
Lara
G pollock/Sanga
 
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Number of centuries is not the sole criteria of been Great.

There are at 4 - 5 better batters than Sanga.
 
no way he is.

Brian Lara and Graeme Pollock are a greatest left handed batsmen in a history of cricket.

However I will rate him behind Adam Gilchrist in a wicket keeper list of all time
 
Sobers, Lara and G Pollock would have to be the top 3 I would say. Sanga would be way down the list.
 
Sobers is the best ever left handed batsman followed by G. Pollock and Lara.
 
Re: Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

That would be a resounding no.
 
Nah, Lara over Sangakkara without a doubt. But Sanga comfortably ahead of the likes of gilchrist imo. Thing about Sangakkara which has to be admired is his insatiable appetite for big scores which very few have matched.
 
Knack of scoring big is what Sanga shares with Lara-amazing ability.
 
amax said:
Knack of scoring big is what Sanga shares with Lara-amazing ability.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with you here .... Lara, Sehwag, Sangakkara, all 3 of them have had this appetite for big double hundreds.
 
Lara for me as i have never watched Sobers or the other oldies Lara was more classy elegant and fierce than Sanga's
 
Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

Hes hit his first 300 well done to the legend


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sanga - compared to other greats, he is kind of home bully (29 out of 34 hundreds under subcontinental conditions or against minnows, need any more proof?) and weak bowling basher . He does have big appetite for runs though.
 
Hahaha he is still going after 300 even when his team score is 574, lol. Just watch him performing in England :p
 
We should also consider that SL plays very few tests outside SC, he could easily have lot more well rounded record if given more chances at his peak.
 
I think Sanga will be rated like how Pollock and Walsh are rated.

Some may call him ATG (even I did sometime back but now I wonder whether it was premature).

Some may not.

One thing is for sure.

He is NOT a clear cut ATG like Sachin, Dravid, Ponting, Kallis, Lara.
 
cricketjoshila said:
He is not even an ATG.He is a HTB/FTB.

Greatest ever LHB,NO WAY.
Click to expand...

I don't think he's the best LHB, but one can't really call him a HTB/FTB when it is inconclusive. He has 60 avg in Australia, 66 in NZ for a total of 9 matches. Bad in England and average in SA, good in Pak, average in India.

Why are people so negative about Sanga? He is a hell of a player.

ATG I would put him in that category, but hey that's just me.
 
Could break another lefties record today :13:

I'm sure Lara is glued to his TV atm :))
 
IMO Hussey was bettar than him. Wont go to stats but just rated him a bettar player than Sanga.
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
I think Sanga will be rated like how Pollock and Walsh are rated.

Some may call him ATG (even I did sometime back but now I wonder whether it was premature).

Some may not.

One thing is for sure.

He is NOT a clear cut ATG like Sachin, Dravid, Ponting, Kallis, Lara.
Click to expand...

Not ATG batsmen, in my opinion. Good, really good, but not great. Not because of the number of runs they scored, but how they scored them, snail paced in accumulative fashion. Not how Sachin, Lara and Ponting used to score their runs, decimating bowling attacks, taking them apart.

Would you watch a destructive innings of Sachin in the 90's or a boring innings of Dravid or Kallis? How about watching Lara at his devastating best or an innings of Dravid or Kallis?
 
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No, very good bat but not even close

Off the top of my head lara, pollock, sobers to name a few are well ahead of him As well as a few others
 
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steelo green said:
I don't think he's the best LHB, but one can't really call him a HTB/FTB when it is inconclusive. He has 60 avg in Australia, 66 in NZ for a total of 9 matches. Bad in England and average in SA, good in Pak, average in India.

Why are people so negative about Sanga? He is a hell of a player.

ATG I would put him in that category, but hey that's just me.
Click to expand...

Out of the 7 top test nations he played in he avgs below 40 in 4 of them.Not ATG by any means.Not even close.
 
Convict said:
Not even an ATG.
Click to expand...

Precisely.

He's not showed up against tough opponents, hasn't hit flashy/legendary hundreds. I would actually not even bother to remember him after he retires.


Even among Lankans, i would always rate Aravinda, Jayasuriya and Mahela higher. Yes, Mahela. He's played more meaningful knocks despite having inferior stats.
 
No the list would be;

Sobers
Lara
Pollok
Gilly
Hussey (find him much better than Sanga)

Sanga is not an ATG by any means maybe a Sri Lankan great but defo not a great of the game. Though his appetite for big runs is commendable.
 
He's a top quality batsman but batsman like Sachin was one of a kind who could perform against anyone and anywhere.
 
cricketjoshila said:
Out of the 7 top test nations he played in he avgs below 40 in 4 of them.Not ATG by any means.Not even close.
Click to expand...

What some ppl fail to realise is that Sanga the specialist bat is a completely different animal to Sanga the wk/bat (excluding minnows an ave of over 60 v an ave of around 40 - that's a significant disparity right there). Keeping and batting at no3 in Tests is obviously a tough ask and his batting suffered as a result. As a specialist bat his numbers are up there with the best of them.

Excluding Bangla and Zimboks

Outside of SC

ScreenShot2014-01-14at85918am_zpsf2c00752.png


Away against top 7

ScreenShot2014-01-14at90201am_zps908ced13.png


Home against top 7

ScreenShot2014-01-14at33225pm_zps2399422a.png
 
Hitman said:
Not ATG batsmen, in my opinion. Good, really good, but not great. Not because of the number of runs they scored, but how they scored them, snail paced in accumulative fashion. Not how Sachin, Lara and Ponting used to score their runs, decimating bowling attacks, taking them apart.

Would you watch a destructive innings of Sachin in the 90's or a boring innings of Dravid or Kallis? How about watching Lara at his devastating best or an innings of Dravid or Kallis?
Click to expand...

If this were the greatest criterion, Sehwag would be the king of them all. Dravid has scored his 100s at a strike rate of around 50, and often in crucial match winning causes, so not sure what you call as slow or boring innings.
 
Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

Sanga is probably the greatest WK Test Bat ever
 
London_Lahori said:
How on earth is Gilchrist a better test bat then Sanga?
Click to expand...

Better wicketkeeper batsman.

Sanga only averaged low 40s as a wicketkeeper.

Gilly averaged over 50 as a keeper for most of his career.
 
Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

cricketjoshila said:
Not even 2nd best.

Gilly first Andy Flower second.
Click to expand...


Yeah I've checked his record now as a WK he averages 40 in Tests which is way behind Gillys record the point is if he played them 48 tests as a regular batsman he would've had an average in the 60s which is definite ATG material
 
Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

Sangas average of 70 as a specialist bat is just freakish but I still don't put him in Tendu/Lara category but it's also a bit unfair that he hasn't had the opportunity to play as many tests outside SC just as a batsman I think his record would be better
 
Adil_94 said:
Sangas average of 70 as a specialist bat is just freakish but I still don't put him in Tendu/Lara category but it's also a bit unfair that he hasn't had the opportunity to play as many tests outside SC just as a batsman I think his record would be better
Click to expand...

He played tests outside SL and failed in places like SA and ENG.If i am not mistaken he has missed a no. of tests in AUS as well.He hasnt done well in India and WI as well.
 
Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

cricketjoshila said:
He played tests outside SL and failed in places like SA and ENG.If i am not mistaken he has missed a no. of tests in AUS as well.He hasnt done well in India and WI as well.
Click to expand...


In SA he didn't fail that's harsh to average 37 as a specialist bat is pretty good for a SC batsman in India he averages 48 just as a batsman and 42 in WI is a solid average
 
Not as good as Lara as he doesn't have that Xfactor that Lara has however the 2nd best of all time after Lara..
 
IndianWillow said:
If this were the greatest criterion, Sehwag would be the king of them all. Dravid has scored his 100s at a strike rate of around 50, and often in crucial match winning causes, so not sure what you call as slow or boring innings.
Click to expand...

Dravid = Boring-est batman ever. A strike rate of 42.51 that too in the modern era, says it all. Even that snail Shivnarine Chanderpaul has a better SR. Dravid is an Indian 'great', but far from being an ATG, not even close to it.
 
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Convict said:
Better wicketkeeper batsman.

Sanga only averaged low 40s as a wicketkeeper.

Gilly averaged over 50 as a keeper for most of his career.
Click to expand...

The thread is about left handed batsman, though. Not wicket keeper batsman.
 
Re: Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

Adil_94 said:
In SA he didn't fail that's harsh to average 37 as a specialist bat is pretty good for a SC batsman in India he averages 48 just as a batsman and 42 in WI is a solid average
Click to expand...


For someone who played in 2000s 37 is a poor return.

.If you will look he has played only 28 tests outside home as a specialist batsman and thats only 1/4th of his total tests and half of his over seas record to call him an ATG based on that is wrong.
 
Re: Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

SL_Fan said:
What some ppl fail to realise is that Sanga the specialist bat is a completely different animal to Sanga the wk/bat (excluding minnows an ave of over 60 v an ave of around 40 - that's a significant disparity right there). Keeping and batting at no3 in Tests is obviously a tough ask and his batting suffered as a result. As a specialist bat his numbers are up there with the best of them.

Excluding Bangla and Zimboks

Outside of SC

ScreenShot2014-01-14at85918am_zpsf2c00752.png


Away against top 7

ScreenShot2014-01-14at90201am_zps908ced13.png


Home against top 7

ScreenShot2014-01-14at33225pm_zps2399422a.png
Click to expand...



Only 28 tests.Look up the number of tests Dravid Ponting Kallis Lara Tendulkar Etc played outside their home againist top teams.

Mr. SANGA isnt anywhere near them.
 
cricketjoshila said:
Only 28 tests.Look up the number of tests Dravid Ponting Kallis Lara Tendulkar Etc played outside their home againist top teams.

Mr. SANGA isnt anywhere near them.
Click to expand...

So its his fault that his team toured less, if any thing it is unfair to him and (goes in his favor ) that he cant tour that often at his peak.
 
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Most people seem to have valid points, but I personally believe he is one of the best certainly. I think he can adapt to most situations and formats and plays good cricket which is a delight to watch! Certainly a key wicket for any opposition!
 
Re: Is Kumar Sangakkara the greatest left handed batsman in Test Cricket ever?

amax said:
So its his fault that his team toured less, if any thing it is unfair to him and (goes in his favor ) that he cant tour often at his peak.
Click to expand...



He has over all played 54 tests but his fans want us to consider only 28.Why?Because he played well in them?
 
amax said:
So its his fault that his team toured less, if any thing it is unfair to him and (goes in his favor ) that he cant tour that often at his peak.
Click to expand...

This is my argument. The sample size is too small to go either way, and to discredit him wouldn't be fair especially when he has been such a destructive player in his career. 70 average as a non WK is amazing.
 
cricketjoshila said:
Only 28 tests.Look up the number of tests Dravid Ponting Kallis Lara Tendulkar Etc played outside their home againist top teams.

Mr. SANGA isnt anywhere near them.
Click to expand...

Around 30 Tests away and some 30 odd Tests at home against the top 7 as a specialist bat. I think that's a good enough number to compare and make a fair judgement. Besides as amax has already pointed out it's not his fault that most Test series SL play involve just 2 or 3 Tests now is it?
 
Not above Lara.

Gilchrist was more of a hitter who came lower down the order - they were different type of players so unfair comparison.
 
cricketjoshila said:
He has over all played 54 tests but his fans want us to consider only 28.Why?Because he played well in them?
Click to expand...

Overall 47 Tests away against the top 7 actually (as opposed to 29 as a specialist bat). No it's to even the playing field somewhat. I would have liked to have seen Sachin, Lara and Ponting etc keeping and batting at no3 to see how they go. Their numbers won't be as flash I'm sure.
 
sobers, lara, chanderpaul & gilchrist would be ranked above sangakkara

sangakkara has inflated his avg playing a lot against bangladesh & zimbabwe. his combined avg is 92 against those 2 teams
 
Just so ppl can see what specialist bat Sanga v wk/bat Sanga looks like :afridi

Home against top 7

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting

is designated keeper
2000-2006
22 Tests/ 37 Innings
Ave 43
4 100s and 5 50s

is not keeper
2003-2012
33 Tests/ 56 Innings
Ave 68
11 100s and 12 50s

58% improvement in ave / 9 innings per 100 v 5 innings per 100


Away against top 7

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting

is designated keeper
2001-2008
18 Tests/ 34 Innings
Ave 36
2 100s and 3 50s

is not keeper
2000-2014
29 Tests/ 55 Innings
Ave 55
9 100s and 17 50s

53% improvement in ave / 17 innings per 100 v 6 innings per 100


In the SC against top 7

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting

is designated keeper
2000-2006
27 Tests/ 46 Innings
Ave 47
6 100s and 5 50s

is not keeper
2003-2014
45 Tests/ 78 Innings
Ave 65
15 100s and 19 50s

38% improvement in ave / 8 innings per 100 v 5 innings per 100


Outside SC - Away in SA, Eng, Aus, NZ and WI

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting

is designated keeper
2001-2008
13 Tests/ 25 Innings
Ave 26
0 100s and 3 50s

is not keeper
2000-2012
17 Tests/ 33 Innings
Ave 53
5 100s (98 and a 192 to go with it) and 10 50s

104% improvement in ave / no 100s v 7 innings per 100


Overall against top 7

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting

is designated keeper
2000-2008
40 Tests/ 71 Innings
Ave 40
6 100s (including 1 190+ score) and 8 50s

is not keeper
2000-2014
62 Tests/ 111 Innings
Ave 61
20 100s (including 7 190+ scores) and 29 50s

53% improvement in ave / 12 innings per 100 v 6 innings per 100
 
Hitman said:
Not ATG batsmen, in my opinion. Good, really good, but not great. Not because of the number of runs they scored, but how they scored them, snail paced in accumulative fashion. Not how Sachin, Lara and Ponting used to score their runs, decimating bowling attacks, taking them apart.

Would you watch a destructive innings of Sachin in the 90's or a boring innings of Dravid or Kallis? How about watching Lara at his devastating best or an innings of Dravid or Kallis?
Click to expand...

Its not about who I would rather watch.

Wasn't Gavaskar an ATG batsman?

Can anyone in the world deny that?

Similarly, Dravid and Kallis will be regarded as ATG batsman.

By the way, Dravid (for all his weakness in Aus) won us 2 matches in Aus.

How many did Sachin (for all his greatness) win us in Aus?
 
Sangakara is effortless batsman , delightful to watch , but certainly History has seen better batters.
 
Half of the people haven't watched Sobers, Pollock, Hobbs in their old days and yet they are advocating for them. Its a norm to mock current players and praise old players.

Yes Sanga is one of the all time greats.
 
Definitely not.

Lara was arguably better but I have never seen the likes of Sobers/Pollock to make a comment. As of now, he is probably the best left handed batsman though. ATG material to me. Averaging 57 is nothing short of extra-ordinary.
 
UP said:
Half of the people haven't watched Sobers, Pollock, Hobbs in their old days and yet they are advocating for them. Its a norm to mock current players and praise old players.

Yes Sanga is one of the all time greats.
Click to expand...

I feel the same.

This glorification of the past needs to stop
 
And they only get two tests when they tour England or Australia. Lot of the visiting batsmen tend to get big scores during the end of the English summer by which time they are well acclimatized and the conditions have become more benign. SL, WI and NZ have to play in the early summer in Eng and Aus.
 
6 centuries outside Asia and still you call him the best? One of it came against Zimbabwe. Lol.
 
Sangakkara is not even the best left hand bat of the current lot, let alone of all time.
 
Two ATG left handed batters that come to mind are graham pollock and Lara.

Sanga doesn't even cut the ATG barrier currently. He hasn't checked many criteria, considered necessary to be one
 
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