Born on October 27, 1977, Kumar Sangakkara is Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket. A comparatively late entrant to international cricket — Sangakkara debuted when he was 22 — he has since become indispensible to Sri Lankan cricket. Shiamak Unwalla looks at the leading run-scorer in Test cricket since 2000.
To call Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara simply a “stylish” batsman would be akin to calling Sir Don Bradman a “good” batsman: a grossly unjust understatement. Sangakkara at his most savage can still use his bat as a samurai would use a katana — and with as deadly an effect.
Sangakkara currently sits at the fifth spot in terms of leading run-scorers in Test cricket. He eclipsed Brian Lara earlier this year, and — given his current levels of fitness and form — could very well challenge the four players ahead of him, all of whom have now retired.
| Players | Teams | Period | M | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2013 | 200 | 15,921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 68 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 168 | 13,378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa, ICC | 1995-2013 | 166 | 13,289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 |
| Rahul Dravid | India, ICC | 1996-2012 | 164 | 13,288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2014 | 128 | 11,988 | 319 | 58.76 | 37 | 51 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies, ICC | 1990-2006 | 131 | 11,953 | 400* | 52.88 | 34 | 48 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 1997-2014 | 149 | 11,814 | 374 | 49.84 | 34 | 50 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 1994-2014 | 158 | 11,684 | 203* | 53.1 | 30 | 65 |
| Allan Border | Australia | 1978-1994 | 156 | 11,174 | 205 | 50.56 | 27 | 63 |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 1985-2004 | 168 | 10,927 | 200 | 51.06 | 32 | 50 |
What stands out about Sangakkara though, is that since making his Test debut in 2000, no one has scored as many runs in the longest format. Given below is the list of leading run-scorers in world cricket since 2000:
| Name | Team | Period | M | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2014 | 128 | 11,988 | 319 | 58.76 | 37 | 51 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa, ICC | 2000-2013 | 134 | 11,440 | 224 | 58.66 | 40 | 48 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2000-2012 | 135 | 11,286 | 257 | 53.48 | 35 | 52 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 2000-2014 | 134 | 10,881 | 374 | 50.37 | 32 | 45 |
| Rahul Dravid | India, ICC | 2000-2012 | 130 | 10,590 | 270 | 52.95 | 30 | 47 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 2000-2013 | 127 | 10,080 | 248* | 52.22 | 29 | 45 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 2000-2014 | 121 | 9,450 | 203* | 57.27 | 28 | 47 |
| Graeme Smith | South Africa, ICC | 2002-2014 | 117 | 9,265 | 277 | 48.25 | 27 | 38 |
| Virender Sehwag | India, ICC | 2001-2013 | 104 | 8,586 | 319 | 49.34 | 23 | 32 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 2006-2014 | 109 | 8,423 | 294 | 46.02 | 25 | 38 |
As seen above, in terms of average and runs, Sangakkara is unparalleled while only Jacques Kallis has hit more centuries than him in this period.
But perhaps the most outstanding fact is that were he not made to keep wickets for the better part of his early career, his figures could have been even more impressive. When Sangakkara is not burdened with keeping wickets, his average rises greatly. Below is a list of non-wicketkeeper batsmen who have scored 5000 runs and above:
| Name | Team | Period | M | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Don Bradman | Australia | 1928-1948 | 52 | 6996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2014 | 80 | 8871 | 319 | 69.85 | 30 | 40 |
| Ken Barrington | England | 1955-1968 | 82 | 6806 | 256 | 58.67 | 20 | 35 |
| Wally Hammond | England | 1927-1947 | 85 | 7249 | 336* | 58.45 | 22 | 24 |
| Garry Sobers | West Indies | 1954-1974 | 93 | 8032 | 365* | 57.78 | 26 | 30 |
| Jack Hobbs | England | 1908-1930 | 61 | 5410 | 211 | 56.94 | 15 | 28 |
| Len Hutton | England | 1937-1955 | 79 | 6971 | 364 | 56.67 | 19 | 33 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa, ICC | 1995-2013 | 166 | 13289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 |
| Greg Chappell | Australia | 1970-1984 | 87 | 7110 | 247* | 53.86 | 24 | 31 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2013 | 200 | 15921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 68 |
With an average just shy of 70, Sangakkara is way ahead of any of his contemporaries. Effectively, this makes him the most successful batsman of the 21st century, more so than the men who enjoy the status of modern legends: Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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