• Sangakkara by the numbers

    Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara has been in red-hot form at the World Cup. We take a look at his statistics against South Africa as the teams prepare to meet in Wednesday’s quarter-final.

    Sangakkara now holds the record for the most consecutive hundreds in ODI cricket, having scored a century in each of his last four games.

    Here’s some interesting stats about one of the all-time greats.

    1. From July 2000’s maiden outing in Galle to over 14 years later in Hambantota, more than a fifth (43, to be exact) of Sangakkara’s 403 ODIs have come against South Africa.

    2. Sangakkara has scored 1 744 of his 14 189 ODI runs against South Africa. He has only gathered more against India (2 700) and Australia (1 813).

    3. The veteran left-hander’s formidable ODI average against the Proteas of 45.89 is almost four runs greater than his impressive career aggregate of 41.97.

    4. He has performed particularly well against the Proteas in Australia, too, averaging 47.25 in four matches in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart – but has never played them in Sydney.

    5. His last 10 ODI innings against South Africa, from January 2012 to July 2014, have brought 637 runs – including back-to-back centuries and three consecutive half-tons – at an ominous average of 70.78.

    6. While Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Imran Tahir or Kyle Abbott have not dismissed Sangakkara in ODI cricket in the last six years, Morne Morkel has done so on three occasions. Aaron Phangiso, who probably won’t play in Wednesday’s quarter-final, has done so twice.

    7. His highest ODI score came against the South Africans, as an attacking 169 flayed a visiting attack spearheaded by Chris Morris and Morkel in Colombo in July 2013.

    8. Two of the stalwart Sri Lankan’s ODI ducks have been suffered against South Africa, at the hands of Shaun Pollock in Ahmedabad in 2006 – and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in Pallekele in 2013.

    9. All of 99 ODI stumpings down the line, the talented wicketkeeper has orchestrated the most – 19 – against South Africa. Meanwhile, 43 of his 402 catches have been taken against the Proteas.

    10. He has, in fact, played three ODIs alongside – rather than against – some South Africans. Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis were his team-mates during October 2005’s so-called ‘Super Series’ between the International Cricket Council XI and Australia.