Kumar Sangakkara is Sri Lanka's greatest batsman and one of the finest cricketers of his generation. He retired from international cricket in 2015 with 12,400 Test runs — the second highest total in Test history — and over 14,000 ODI runs, placing him among the greatest batsmen who ever played the game.
His Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's Cricket Ground in 2011 is widely regarded as the finest speech ever delivered in cricket — an eloquent meditation on Sri Lanka's civil war, national identity and the power of sport. It demonstrated that Sangakkara was as articulate and thoughtful off the field as he was brilliant on it.
Since retiring, he has served as President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) — the first non-British person to hold the role — and remains one of cricket's most respected ambassadors and voices.