Subsistence farming is an option post retirement, reveals Kumar Sangakkara

What’s the story

In an interview with cricket show, “The Analyst”, Kumar Sangakkara laid out subsistence farming as a serious option post-retirement. The 39-year-old stated that he and his wife were keen to live off the land and provide for themselves. He cited an old tennis colleague as the source of this idea, and went on to say that Sri Lanka had a proud tradition of subsistence farming, and a profession he would be honoured to be involved in.

In case you didn’t know...

Sangakkara has announced that this county season will be his last, and similar to the purple patch he came into during the 2015 World Cup, he has been in incredible form with the bat. Yesterday, he notched up his 100th century across formats, following a record-breaking five consecutive century run in the County Championship. This was his second century in the Royal One Day cup, where he is averaging 88.40 this season.

The heart of the matter

Most cricketing greats of his generation, like Rahul Dravid, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Michael Clarke have remained in the cricketing sphere post-retirement, which makes Sangakkara’s decision all the more surprising. As a brilliant orator, he was expected to build on his short commentary stint, but the Sri Lankan legend rejected a permanent commentary role idea due to the amount of travelling.

Given Sangakkara’s background in law, a post-retirement career in cricket administration or politics was on the cards as well, but in past interviews, Sangakkara has stated his need for a few years out of the game first. Perhaps working on the fields is his way of taking a break from cricket, before being able to look at it with a more complete perspective.

What’s next

For the next few years, one can expect to see Sangakkara making his rounds in the domestic T20 circuit, plying his trade until he feels his time is up. In these years, a larger presence in the commentary box will also be seen. He will probably take a few years off after that, having expressed his want to spend more time with his family. In the distant future, he says he might undertake an administrative or coaching role.

Author’s take

It was always felt that Sangakkara retired too early. However, his decision to retire while people still remembered him fondly was a wise one. His retirements in the different formats came while he peaked. It meant he would have enough time and energy left to devote to his other pursuits and hopefully, eventually dedicating himself to helping the next generation of cricket in Sri Lanka.

Playing was just the first chapter of Sangakkara’s life. Anyone who has heard him speak, or read his column will know that. As the patriot that he is, he will know that his country needs him to help sort out the corrupt, bureaucratic mess that is the Sri Lanka Cricket’s administration. His previous roles with the ICC will be good experience, and perhaps going back to college to complete his law degree will allow him the credentials needed to work in a meaningful way in administration.