The best applause at Lord’s for a Sri Lankan

In all, there have been 11 centuries scored by Sri Lankans at Lord’s – seven in Tests and four in ODIs prior to the current game. Each knock has its place in the history. Sidath Wettimuny on Sri Lanka’s maiden Test tour to England earned the admiration of purists for sheer elegance and perfect technique. Duleep Mendis on the same tour murdered the English bowlers with swashbuckling knocks. 
Mahela Jayawardene saved Sri Lanka from an embarrassing defeat in 2006 and Tillekeratne Dilshan rewrote the history books with a magnificent 193 the last time they played a Test Match at Lord’s. Yet, the best applause for a Sri Lankan at The Home of Cricket was given off the field. Kumar Sangakkara was the man who received a thundering applause at Lord’s for his Cowdrey Lecture in 2011.

Sangakkara was invited by the MCC to give the Cowdrey Lecture and MCC President the late Christopher Martin-Jenkins played a pivotal role in giving the lecture to a Sri Lankan. When The Island queried from CMJ, one of Britain’s leading cricket writers whether he had any influence over inviting Sangakkara to give the lecture, he said. "I did have a strong influence. The main reasons are one is the statute of Kumar Sangakkara who is a great contemporary cricketer, very articulate and experienced as a player. Then as the Cowdrey Lecture hasn’t been given by a Sri Lankan, we thought that it’s a good time to have him and I am sure he will be very good. 

On the 4th of July, Sangakkara became the youngest and the only current cricketer to provide the Cowdrey Lecture.

For 50 minutes, the audience listened to Sangakkara as he explained so eloquently how the game of cricket evolved in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan society that was always hospitable and smiled at all times even during struggles.

"If you visit a rural Sri Lankan home and you are served a cup of tea you will find it to be intolerably sweet. I have at times experienced this and upon further inquiry have found that it is because the hosts believe that the guest is entitled to more of everything including the sugar. In homes where sugar is an ill-affordable luxury a guest will still have sugary tea while the hosts go without," Sanga noted.

He also touched on the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus and how the game changed in the country after the 1996 World Cup. He also made some passing mentions of how poorly the game was governed back at home.

There was a special mention on Arjuna Ranatunga whom the batsman said changed the way how Sri Lankans played the game.

"This much-awaited messiah arrived in the form of an immensely talented and slightly rotund Arjuna Ranatunga. He was to change the entire history of our cricketing heritage
converting the game that we loved in to a shared fanatical passion that over 20 million people embraced as their own personal dream."

"Coming from Ananda College to the SSC proved to be a culture shock for Arjuna. SSC was dominated by students from St. Thomas’ and Royal College, the two most elite schools in Colombo. Arjuna himself has spoken about how alien the culture felt and how difficult it was for him to adjust to try and fit in. As a 15-year-old school kid practicing in the nets at the club, a senior stalwart of the club inquired about him. When told he was from the unfashionable Ananda College, he dismissed his obvious talents immediately: "We don’t want any "Sarong Johnnie’s" in this club."

The Lecture earned him a standing ovation. Up until then the British press had recognized outstanding Sri Lankan batsmen and excellent spin bowlers, but the speech showed them that there were great orators too among Sri Lankans.

Sanga’s final lines made a telling impact. He ended his speech saying, "I will play my cricket for the Sri Lankan fans. Their spirit is the true spirit of cricket. With me are all my people. I am Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim and Burgher. I am a Buddhist, a Hindu, a follower of Islam and Christianity. I am today, and always, proudly Sri Lankan."