London:The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) decided to recommend a second term for its President Kumar Sangakkara as the current activities at the club have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman became the first non-British President of the club when he assumed office on October 1 last year.
"The disruption to the global cricketing landscape caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 has led the Committee to recommend that Sangakkara, who began his term of office on 1 October 2019, be invited to serve as President of the Club until 30 September 2021," the club said in a statement.
The recommendation for Sangakarra's extension will be sent for approval to the club's members at the Annual General Meeting, which has been scheduled for June 24.
The club also mentioned that this was not the first time a president will serve beyond his one year tenure.
"Whilst Presidents of MCC only normally serve for a twelve-month period, it is not unprecedented for longer terms to be introduced to respond to extraordinary circumstances," the club said.
Sangakkara is all set to enter an elite list of people who have served multiple terms. During the two World Wars, Lord Hawke (1914-18) and Stanley Christopherson (1939-45) had served as president for longer than a year.
Former Sri Lanka captain's tryst with MCC goes back a long way. It began in 2011 when he delivered a poignant speech at the Cowdrey Lecture. Consequently, the Club honored him with a lifetime membership the following year and he also joined the MCC's World Cricket Committee in the same year.
In February 2020, Sangakkara was captain of the Club during its historic tour of Pakistan - a first for the MCC in 47 years.
The trip was an sincere attempt to encourage the revival of international cricket in Pakistan which had become a no-go zone for international teams since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, a squad that Sangakkara was also part of.(UNI)
