Cricket needs more characters, everybody moans, while reserving the right to hold the moral high ground should anyone get the teeniest, weeniest bit on the wrong side of the ICC's code of conduct. Kumar Sangakkara, we hope, is on the way to filling a void. He has a priceless ability to bring the heat, the involvement, the utterly addictive childishness, of backyard cricket right into the living room. The second Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa had too much needle for some. Well, it was fun. Sangakkara sledged lavishly, but he stood out not because he sledged, but because he did it creatively, and did it even on the verge of a thumping series loss. Shaun Pollock, whose mope about the subcontinental conditions in the one-day tri-series in Morocco was mimicked with a flourish by Sangakkara, did not know whether to laugh, cry, or just get mad. (He laughed, and the teams shook hands before walking off) Yes, Sangakkara is liable to occasionally get under your skin, but you'll probably still like him at the end of the day. Rahul Bhattacharya

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