Sri Lanka have been fortunate at various stages to have electrifying individual talent; they have also been lucky in that they have also had men that have linked up and formed formidable tandems. It began with Mendis and Dias, extended to Aravinda and Arjuna, graduated to Jayasuriya and Atapattu, and has now come to rest with Sangakkara and Jayawardene.
All these are more than just batting partnerships. These are influential individuals who have been brought together by a common goal, men that have effortlessly assumed leadership roles even without being the captain, though it is worth mentioning too that apart from Dias, every one of them has led the country for an extended period, and with no little distinction.
Few countries have produced so many leaders – throw in a couple more in Muralitharan and Vaas – as Sri Lanka have in less than 30 years as a Test-playing entity. The history of cricket is replete with some glittering associations – Bradman and Ponsford, Hobbs and Sutcliffe, Hayden and Langer, Greenidge and Haynes, Dravid and Tendukar, Lillee and Thomson, Roberts and Holding, Warne and McGrath – but not all of them have been leaders in the true sense of the term. That’s where Sri Lanka can count themselves extremely lucky.
Today, if Sri Lanka find themselves within touching distance of the number one Test ranking, it largely has to do with the understanding and camaraderie that exists between the current captain and his predecessor.
Few outfits have been blessed enough to have the tactical nous and positive thinking of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, men totally committed to the betterment of Sri Lankan cricket. Their understanding is all too obvious; there are no cross-purposes, no egos, no back-biting and manipulation. With Sangakkara and Jayawardene, what you see is often what you get.
From the time he made his debut as an exceptional talent some 13 years back, Jayawardene was earmarked for greater things. He was always the captain in waiting, a shrewd thinker and an excellent motivator who inspired the rest with his impeccable work ethics and his vision for the team. Having cut his teeth in international cricket under the tough-as-nails Arjuna Ranatunga, Jayawardene picked up every trick in the book and fused them with many of his own so that by the time he was officially named the national skipper, he was in complete command of the situation.
Sangakkara arrived a little later, as astute as his great mate but with several unpolished edges. He was sharp and unapologetic, always ready with a sledge and an unwarranted appeal, but tactically, he too was aware and accomplished. If he had captaincy ambitions, as anyone who plays for his country almost invariably has, he didn’t allow those to come to the fore and undermine the authority of Jayawardene. Instead of becoming competitors, the two men chose to take the other direction, joining hands to chart the progress of their country as a formidable cricketing force.
Their contributions, of course, extend to beyond the backroom. The duo has led by example on the park, enjoying each other’s company in the middle and stacking up one of the finest records by a pair in Test history. The two hold the record for the highest ever Test partnership, of 624 runs against South Africa at the SSC grounds in 2006. Also at the SSC g
rounds last week in the second Test, they strung together their 12th century stand, a Sri Lankan record that bettered 11 between Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva; in terms of runs scored as a partnership, they lie fourth on the all-time list, only behind Greenidge- Haynes, Hayden-Langer and Dravid-Tendulkar.
Both men are still in their early 30s and have a fair amount of cricket ahead of them. Sangakkara is firmly in control of the team, but secure in the knowledge that in Jayawardene, he has a deputy on whose shoulder he can lean anytime. Furthermore, in their own way, both men are transmitting the subtle message to the rest of the team that in unity lies strength, and that there is little to be gained by internecine rivalry and subterfuge. Classic role models, this left-right combine!