KEY POINTS:
Kumar Sangakkara's favourite writer, Oscar Wilde, once said he didn't much like cricket because it "required one to assume such indecent positions".
This would no doubt amuse Sri Lanka's record-breaking No 3 batsman, who's spent 47 of his 62 tests squatting behind the stumps wearing enormous, hulking gloves
and developing over-sized thigh-muscles.
But no more. The days of Sangakkara keeping wicket and batting No 3 were almost certainly sunk back in July when he was relieved of the gloves and asked to concentrate on his batting for the opening test against South Africa.
The move was a success. Sangakkara struck 287 in a 624-run world-record partnership with Mahela Jayawardene, who finished with 374, and probably sealed his fate as a specialist batsman.
Not even he could mount a serious argument against the switch, and that's saying something. A part-time law student, Sangakkara was initially keen to retain the dual responsibilities and was not shy about expressing his misgivings.
But what could he say after scoring 287? Not much, especially as he's now averaged 74.04 in 15 tests as a specialist batsman, against his 41.24 in the 47 outings as wicket-keeper.
"I always enjoyed doing both," he said in Dunedin this week. "I loved the challenge. I was always being asked whether I could cope with doing both, but it was a role I really enjoyed.
"But, you know, as time goes on things change. We've had Prasanna Jayawardene waiting in the wings for a long time. He's a brilliant keeper and he's improved his batting tremendously; he's been a real success for us this year.
"Whenever I'm needed I'm ready to put the gloves back on but right now the selectors have told me my job is to bat, so that's a new challenge."
Along with the new challenge will also come a new pressure for Sangakkara, as the focus falls more sharply on his ability to score prolifically on a consistent basis, as expected of anyone in a specialist batting role.
Typically for an all-rounder, he feels keenly the pressure of having no fall-back option if everything should turn to custard with the bat.
"It's a different kind of pressure for me now. I only have one way of contributing to the game; by scoring a lot of runs, and that's an intense type of pressure to live with.
"It's good though, because if it doesn't kill me it will make me hungrier and drive me a bit more, and lead to better performances."
And Sangakkara isn't talking vaguely when he mentions improving his output. The 29-year-old is a keen social observer and seems to appreciate better than most the brevity of his opportunity, and the need to make the most of it.
Not for him the idea of breezing through a career without trying to explore the outer reaches of his ability.
"I want to look back at the end of my career and see that I've scored 20 plus hundreds," he says. "I'm halfway there now with 10. It's no good playing for this long without wanting to do something tangible and worthwhile; something that you can look back on when you've finished your career.
"That's one of the reasons I enjoy batting - because it's gives you a chance to leave a mark on the game."
It was back in August that a bomb blast killed seven in Colombo, prompting the startled South Africans to abandon the tri-series and flee for home, a decision that Sangakkara attacked at the time as wrong-headed and unnecessary.
The way he sees it, touring teams should demonstrate more resilience than the South Africans showed, and should try to appreciate better the different political and social landscapes that make up the cricketing world.
His comments at the time included the observation that people in regions affected by unrest had learnt to cope with the uncertainty and pressure and get on with their lives, and didn't deserve to be deserted by the rest of the world.
"The Asian psyche is more resilient, we are tougher people," Sangakkara told one reporter.
His views could touch a nerve at New Zealand Cricket who, in their role as team guardians, have overseen more abandoned tours or cancelled visits than any other International Cricket Council member.
New Zealand twice bailed out of tours after bombings in Sri Lanka; they returned home prematurely from Pakistan 2002 after an bomb blast in Karachi (and have never played a test there since); and they refused to play their 2003 World Cup match in Nairobi, citing security concerns.
The decision not to play at Nairobi effectively made a farce of the World Cup, leading to a situation where New Zealand were unable to make it past the Super Six stage, while Kenya qualified for the semifinals.
"Sri Lanka have suffered a volatile 23 years and there's been a lot of incidents and situations where people have felt a bit threatened," said Sangakkara. "But there's never been any direct threat to touring teams and I think that's an important point.
"Touring teams come to Sri Lanka and their presence helps transcend politics and bring people together. In the South African situation, if the tournament had continued it would have been a fantastic show of solidarity throughout the cricketing world and would have demonstrated that sport really can go places where politics cannot.
"If you're committed to a cause there is a responsibility, I think, to see it through. We probably missed a great opportunity when South Africa returned home."
And neither is he impressed with the often-perpetuated view that cricket's only genuine security threats were in the Asian regions, as if the London bombings never happened bang in the middle of last year's Ashes.
There was a degree of hypocrisy in the way some countries perceived danger.
"The world, not just Sri Lanka, has become a more dangerous place to live in," he said. "Look at England, where there were direct threats and bombings during the Ashes; it's not just one region that's having security issues.
"There are tensions all around the world. The countries that believed they were always safe are now under threat.
"When we tour countries we should ensure that we remain a bit detached from the political situations and remember why we're there and what our obligations are.
"If we all did that, I think we'd see far better reasons for staying, than for leaving."
Of his record-breaking double century, one particular memory stands out: the feeling as he walked off the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground with 287 to his name, or more precisely, 13 short of a triple-century.
Never mind that he'd just compiled his highest personal score and shared in a famous partnership, the little left-hander was seething with frustration over allowing such an opportunity to slip through his fingers.
"I fell just short of a triple century and was kicking myself all the way back to the pavilion," he said. "That disappointment probably overshadowed the record for a couple of days; I was gutted on the way back in. And poor Mahela was too, after getting out just a few short of Lara's record. But everyone's calmed down a bit now and have moved on. We're now looking forward to this tour."
Multiple centuries had been the last thing in his mind when he walked out to bat on the first day of the test, having earlier watched his bowlers skittle South Africa for just 169, thanks to Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando.
Sri Lanka had only six runs on the board when Sangakkara's presence was required in the middle and they were 14 for two in the fourth over when Jayawardene arrived as his partner, with salvage and consolidation the main priority.
"It was just about taking the innings from 14 for two to a score where he could get ahead of the South Africans, declare and put ourselves in a position where we couldn't lose.
"But as time went on everything clicked. I gave a chance early on and it was missed, I miscued Boje out to deep mid-wicket when I was on 99; it was just that kind of day. It was there for you to take, you just had to make sure you didn't do anything stupid."
Sangakkara batted for 675 minutes, faced 457 balls and hit 35 fours as Sri Lanka rumbled through to 756 for five declared on the third day. "We managed to keep things rolling along without incident for two days. We only found out about the world record at lunch on the day we declared.
"It was a great feeling to get there because Mahela and I are good mates on and off the field, but we were also aware that we'd just broken the record held by Roshan Mahanarama and Sanith Jayasuriya - two of the legends of Sri Lankan cricket.
They added 576 against India in 1997 when Sri Lanka amassed 952 for 6 declared in response to India's first-innings 537.
"It was great while it lasted and it gave a tremendous feeling of satisfaction," said Sangakkara. "But, you know, records come and records go - at least it stayed in Sri Lanka."
