Mumbai: Former Sri Lanka captain and wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who has expressed his desire to continue to play Test cricket so as to equal and break Don Bradman's record of highest Test double centuries, has been advised not to eye the world record. The advice has come from none other than his mother, Kumari Surangana, who has been instrumental in the cricketer's career.
Interestingly, it was his school principal (Mr. Leonard De Alwis) who advised Sangakkara's mother to encourage the player to pursue cricket. The boy showed talents in both cricket and tennis at school, and his mother was confused, but the principal had advised her to encourage him to pursue cricket.
Prior to the ongoing Test in Wellington against New Zealand, the 37-year-old Sangakkara, now playing as a pure batsman, had indicated that this second Test could be his last, with the intention of retiring from all international cricket after the World Cup.
But after a match-changing innings of 203 runs enabling his side to lead out of trouble and put them in a better position at the Basin Reserve, Sangakkara said that the lure of overtaking Bradman meant he may extend his career.
"I don't know what my son has said but Bradman's record can't be beaten. Bradman scored 12 double tons in just over 50 Tests (52 to be precise), whereas Kumar took more than 125 Tests to register 11 double hundreds", she said over telephone from Kandy.
"Besides this, Bradman's Test average is much above Kumar's and no way my son can match to this. I don't want my son to play for records".
"Yes, if he feels he can play few more Tests and one or two more Test series, he should definitely continue to play but not for record sake", she added.
