‘The Lahore Attack’ comes under the prose passage is an extract

from Kumar Sangakkara’s Colin Cowdrey Lecture delivered on

5th of July 2011 at lords. As a Sri Lankan cricketer he had the
right to deliver his lecture at this event touching on
history, culture and opportunities for Sri Lanka as well as a
moving recounting of the terrorist attack on their team, in a bus
in Lahore-Pakistan. Being multilingual and a fluent speaker of
English, Sanga’s speech was a very eloquent speech packed with
emotionally charged expressions. He has delivered his ideas
about his role as a cricketer, his patriotism towards his native
land, his relationship with his team members and others. It is a
unique and genuine expression of Kumar about the
responsibility as a leader, a leader in the cricket. Moreover, it
brings out the qualities of Sangakkara as a great Sri Lankan and
a great humanist to the world.
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara, a world class cricketer, best
known as Kumar Sangakkara was a Sri Lanka’s leading
cricketer. He was born on 27th October 1977 in Matale, Kandy.
He is a left-hand batsman, not only as a top order batsman, he
used to play as the wicketkeeper too. He is the most important
player of the team that won the 2014 World T20 as well as the
team that made the finals of 2007 World Cup and 2012 World
T20. He captained the national team from 2008 to 2011 stepping
down after 2011 World Cup finals.
Kumar Sangakkara received an invitation to deliver the MCC
Cowdrey Memorial Lecture in 2011 at Lords. He did not pick
one of the many topics being debated today, such as the role of
cricket or the future of the cricket. While others in general strive
to preserve their respect of their homeland in front of an
international audience at such place, Sanga not only shows
himself but also the unduly critical of the cricket in Sri Lanka.
“This the passion that cricket and cricketer evoke in Sri
Lanka. This is the love that I strive every day of my career to
be worthy of.”
Sangakkara’s aim is not to win personal sympathy from his
audience at the expense of his homeland, the nation he
represents and the members of his team. His speech clearly
shows the passion for Sri Lanka and the love and respect for its
people. As a captain, his mentality is really strong.
“We will get through hardships and we will overcome
because our spirit is strong”
Moreover, he said that he never experienced a bomb explosion.
Though he never experienced a bomb explosion, he is capable of
managing his team members after the terrorist attack. He tried to
fetch out his friends by giving proper consolation such as make
jokes to retrieve their mind to the normal state. It is an
evident for his good leadership quality. Also he conveys his
response to the experience of horror in the following terms.
“We all realized that what some of our fellow Sri Lankans
experienced everyday for nearly 30 years. There was a new
respect and awe for their courage and selflessness.”
Further, in his speech he spoke of a shared passion, collective
joy and ambitions of Sri Lankans. He brings in a conversation
that he had with a soldier at a checkpoint in Colombo, just a
week after his return from Pakistan. The soldier inquired his
health and said
“It is ok if I die because it is my job and I am ready for it”
It vividly shows the soldier’s dignity in his speech. And also the
soldier said Sangakkara as a hero. It shows that how cricketers
are respected in Sri Lanka.
On the whole Sangakkara’s speech shows how he faced the
situation and the emotional impact of the event on the cricketer.
Also, it emphasizes the relationship between the cricketers and
public in Sri Lanka as well as the Kumar’s patriotic love for Sri
Lankan people.