5 revelations made during the Spirit of Cricket speech over the years

#2. Kumar Sangakkara exposing the impact of politics and corruption on the game, 2011

Sangakkara held nothing back in his speech

Only two lectures delivered in the Spirit of Cricket series received standing ovations. The first time was for South African, Bishop Desmond Tutu and the second time, in 2011, it was for Kumar Sangakkara's multi-faceted and highly enriching speech about the untold story of cricket in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan player recalled the terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team during their tour of Pakistan in 2009 and gave a first-hand account of the chaos and fear the team went through.

He was vocal about the culture and rich tradition of cricket in Sri Lankan and spoke passionately about the involvement of politics and corruption in the game. He explained in detail how corruption maligned Sri Lankan cricket and also about the increasing involvement of politicians in cricket.

Due to his straightforward approach, Sangakkara's speech was scrutinized by the ruling party in Sri Lanka. However, they found nothing seditious in the speech and no action was taken against the Sri Lankan player.