Kumar Sangakkara: The epitome of class and hunger

July 28, 2006 will be remembered in the echelons of world cricket as one which the South Africa bowlers probably feared would never come to an end. Captain Ashwell Prince employed as many as eight bowlers as Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had made up their minds of coming out to the middle, settling down and building for themselves, a castle full of runs. The visitors had their backs to the wall from Day One after being bundled out for a paltry score of 169. AB de Villiers' counter-attacking effort of 65 from 72 balls paled in comparison to the monumental effort that was to follow. Sangakkara's appetite for runs in Tests is well-documented, but the ease with which the left-hander knocked off double centuries was bordering on special and unreal. In Colombo, with his best mate Jayawardnene for company, Sangakkara smashed 287, putting the likes of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Andrew Hall and Nickey Boje through some of their toughest times as Test cricketers. The Sanga epic was characterised by a watchful start that seamlessly transcended to a familiar control laced with an array of strokes. The left-handed maestro ended with 287 while Jayawardene managed 374 in Sri Lanka's herculean total of 756. South Africa batted much better in the second innings but there was no way back for them, losing eventually by an innings and 153 runs.

The Hobart heist...nearly (192 vs Australia in November 2007)

Ricky Ponting's Australia were at their ruthless best, outwitting Sri Lanka in every department of the game for three days. The hosts smashed 542 batting first, bowled out Sri Lanka for less than half their total. Ponting hardly put a foot wrong. Sri Lanka's usual rescue-act specialists Sangakkara (57) and Jayawardene (104) put up a fight, but it hardly matched up to the Aussie mountain that had been piled on. To add to it, Ponting sent out his batsmen again and called them back at 210 for two, setting the Lankans a 507-run target. After lunch on Day 3, Sangakkara decided to add a bit of drama to a rather mundane script-in-the-making. The match soon reached a stage where Sangakkara was playing his strokes and slowly eating into the target while an in-form Brett Lee was throwing hurdles in his way, but robbing him of partners - it was a race to the finish between two fine cricketers.

At close of play on Day 4, Sangakkara was unbeaten on 109, Sri Lanka 247/3. Aussies were still ahead in the clash but only just. Sangakkara had made a mockery of a mammoth-looking target of 507, giving Ponting enough reasons to worry. The left-handed Sri Lankan maestro started the final day on a new gear, but Mitchell Johnson wreaked havoc with the new ball. Four quick wickets meant Ponting could breathe a lot easier again. Lasith Malinga however, held fort exceptionally while Sangakkara resumed his act of bravado, until, an umpiring error poured cold water over what was turning out to be a momentous day of Test cricket. South African official Rudi Koertzen raised his finger after Ponting claimed a catch at second slip. Replays showed that Sangakkara had attempted and missed a pull shot and the ball went off his shoulder. The heroic effort ended on 192 his highest Test score against Australia. Sri Lanka eventually folded for 410, and such was the audacity of Sangakkara's attempt at a heist in Hobart that umpire Koertzen later apologised to him.

Finally a world title (52* off 35 balls vs India in ICC World Twenty20 2014 final)

Two World Cup finals, two runners' up medals, if there was anything lacking on the otherwise sparkling CV of Sangakkara, it was an ICC World title. Not forever, though.

In his final appearance for Sri Lanka in T20s, Sangakkara steered his team to get the monkey off his back. Chasing a modest total of 131 the lowest first-innings scores in World Twenty20s against ICC event specialist MS Dhoni's India, the Lankans lost openers Thisara Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan early. The pressure, nerves and the sinking feeling of being 'so near, yet so far' would've been pounding in Sangakkara's mind when he walked out to bat at 41/2 in the sixth over, still needing 91 runs off 14 overs. The asking rate was still not alarmingly high but with the high stakes of a final, against a master tactician made the situation sticky. Sangakkara, however, seemed a man on a mission. He swung the pendulum of pressure back onto Dhoni's side, with a small but important stand of 24 runs off the next four overs with Jayawardene. At the half-way stage, Jayawardene was gone and Sri Lanka had moved to 69/3, with 62 to get off the final 60 balls. There would've been a sense of a painful deja vu as the Indian fielders danced around at the fall of the fourth wicket in the 13th over when Lahiru Thirimanne fell for 7. The match was alive but the pendulum was starting to swing towards Dhoni. Sangakkara wasn't done yet. With Thisara Perera for company, he shifted gears to defy a shrewd opposition skipper. Sangakkara's 52 off 35 saw his team through. Sri Lanka clinched a World title and the retiring veteran was atop shoulders, waving to the fans and heaving a massive sigh of relief from within.

'There was this time in 2014 when I denied MS Dhoni an ICC World title' would make for a fantastic start to a bed-time story for his grandchildren, a few decades down the line.

The 'honourable' Lord's knock (vs England in 1st Test, June 14, 2014)

By the time Sri Lanka toured England in 2014, Sangakkara had achieved all that a cricketer dreams of when he picks up a bat at a little kid. The left-hander was already the best number-three batsman in the world (ahead of a worthy competitor in Rahul Dravid), had affected the most dismissals behind the stumps in all formats put together and had recently added the elusive ICC title by winning the World T20 in Dhaka.

In the first Test at Lord's, which Sri Lanka saved against all odds, Sangakkara added a final feather to his overflowing cap. A sensational double century from Joe Root, valuable contributions from Matt Prior (86), debutant Moeen Ali (48) and a rear-guard action from Stuart Broad (47 off 38 balls) helped England pile on 575 runs at a brisk innings run rate of 4.40. In reply, Sangakkara put on a masterly knock in the sanctum sanatorium of international cricket. The inch-perfect cover drives, the flicks through mid-wicket and behind square were in prominence as the Lord's crowd applauded Sangakkara's entry into the honour's board. His final outing at the 'Mecca of cricket' was brought to an end on 147, giving Moeen Ali his maiden Test wicket. In the second innings, under tougher circumstances, Sangakkara scored a fighting 61 as the final batting pair denied England a victory.

World Cup 2015 special - The Sangakkara run-fest

If one observed Sangakkara's career graphs, the final-third of it is likely to show the most promising results. The Lankan batting star featured in four World Cups in his career (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015) and characteristically displayed his rich vein of form in the final one before bowing out of the 50-overs game. The 2011 finalists couldn't go past the quarter-finals in 2015, but their fans were treated to four spectacular back-to-back centuries (105*, 117*, 104, 124) a World Cup record - by their retiring hero. Bangladesh, England, Australia and Scotland were at the receiving end of the 'Sangakkara Show'.