Shahid Afridi: “Gunathilaka can be the next Sangakkara for SL, a great talent indeed”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi believes that Sri Lanka batsman Danushka Gunathilaka has what it takes to be the next Kumar Sangakkara.
Afridi’s comments come after Gunathilaka has been lighting up the Lanka Premier League (LPL) with the Galle Gladiators.
The 29-year-old is currently the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 462 runs in eight matches, which includes four half-centuries, at an average of 77 and a strike-rate of 144.82.
Thanks to Gunathilaka’s superb performances with the bat, the Gladiators qualified for the semi-finals.
Brilliant performance by Gunathilaka 👏 Congratulations to my team Galle for reaching the semi-finals. Gunathilaka can be the next Sangakkara for SL, a great talent indeed.
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) December 10, 2020
“Brilliant performance by Gunathilaka. Congratulations to my team Galle for reaching the semi-finals. Gunathilaka can be the next Sangakkara for SL, a great talent indeed,” Afridi said on Twitter.
Sangakkara, one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the history of the game,
Sangakkara represented Sri Lanka in 134 Test matches and scored 12,400 runs, which included 38 centuries and 52 fifties, at an average of 57.40.
This puts him at sixth on the all-time list of run-scorers in Test cricket.
He also featured in 404 ODIs and amassed 14,234 runs, which included 25 hundreds and 93 half-centuries, at an average of 41.98.
With the amount of runs he made, Sangakkara is the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history behind iconic India batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
In regards to his Twenty20 International career, the 43-year-old featured in 59 matches and accumulated 1,382 runs, which included eight fifties, at an average of 31.40 and a strike rate of 119.55.
Rahul Dravid is missing in the list