1997 to 2002
After he entered the University of Colombo in 1996, Sangakkara joined Nondescripts who were one of the city's most notable clubs and he spent most of his domestic career, until 2014, with them. Having played for Sri Lanka under-19s while he was still at school, he made further appearances for the team in the 1996–97 season. In February 1997, he played in three Under-19 Tests against the touring India under-19 team, though he did not keep wicket. In the second match, he was run out for 96 in Sri Lanka's first innings. In March, he played in three Under-19 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against India under-19s.
Sangakkara began his professional career in the 1997–98 season when he was 20 years old. He made his List A debut on 28 December 1997 in a 50-over match, playing for Nondescripts against Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The match was a Hatna Trophy semi-final which Nondescripts won by 71 runs. Sangakkara scored 18 in a total of 211. Nondescripts went on to win the tournament, defeating Tamil Union by 5 wickets in the final.
Soon afterwards, on 9 January 1998, he made his first-class debut in a Saravanamuttu Trophy match, also against Bloomfield C&A, at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo. This was a three-day national championship match which ended in a draw. Sangakkara kept wicket and was seventh in the Nondescripts batting order. He held three catches and, in his only innings, scored six runs. He played in six championship matches that season. Nondescripts finished third in Group A of the competition and marginally failed to gain a place in the play-offs.
In the 1998–99 season, the Saravanamuttu Trophy was rebranded as the Premier Championship and Sangakkara played in fourteen matches from January to June 1999. He had only moderate success as a batter, scoring 444 runs with a highest innings of 55; but he made his mark as a wicket-keeper by completing 33 dismissals (32 catches and one stumping). The two group system was abandoned and the championship became a straight league competition in which the sixteen teams played each other once. Nondescripts, with four wins in their fifteen matches, finished fifth. During the season, Sangakkara played in five one-day matches for Sri Lanka B in a triangular tournament with Sri Lanka A and the English team Leicestershire, who were on tour.
In November 1999, Sangakkara was selected for the Sri Lanka A team's tour of South Africa. It was at this point that he decided to abandon his degree course and leave university. On the tour, he played in three limited overs and two first-class matches against South Africa A, his best performance being an innings of 89 in one of the limited overs games. On 20 May 2000, playing in a limited overs match for Sri Lanka A against the touring Zimbabwe A at the De Soysa Stadium in Moratuwa, Sangakkara played an outstanding innings of 156 not out, which helped him to obtain a place in Sri Lanka's national team two months later.
He played in seven Premier Championship matches for Nondescripts in 1999–2000, but the team had a poor season. The two groups format was revived with Nondescripts in Group A and finishing fifth. Nondescripts played in Group B of the Premier Limited Overs Tournament but they again disappointed and did not qualify for the play-offs.
In July 2000, Sri Lanka hosted the Singer Triangular Series between themselves, Pakistan, and South Africa. The teams played each other twice in a round-robin league format and the top two, South Africa and Sri Lanka, qualified for the final which Sri Lanka won by 30 runs. Sangakkara made his One Day International (ODI) debut in the opening match when Sri Lanka played Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium on 5 July. Pakistan batted first and scored 164/8 from their 45 overs (reduced from 50 because of a delay caused by bad weather). Sangakkara kept wicket and made an important contribution when he caught Mohammad Yousuf off Nuwan Zoysa for a first-ball "duck". Sri Lanka needed only 37.3 overs to score 166/5 and win the match by five wickets with 45 balls in hand. Sangakkara was fifth in the batting order and made 35 before he was run out by Imran Nazir at 131/4. ESPN's cricket writer Charlie Austin wondered if Sangakkara had "the head for international cricket and also the technique". He was impressed enough to describe Sangakkara as "a down to earth man, both intelligent and mature, who was unfazed by the situation and was immediately off the mark with a fluid square drive".
In the second match, when Sri Lanka played South Africa at Galle on 6 July, Sangakkara was voted Man of the Match after he scored 85 before again being run out, this time by Makhaya Ntini. He shared a fifth wicket partnership of 120 with Russel Arnold (59 not out) and Sri Lanka totalled 249/7 in their 50 overs. South Africa were all out for 212, Sangakkara catching Jonty Rhodes off his first ball, and Sri Lanka won by 37 runs.
Sangakkara played in all five of Sri Lanka's matches in the tournament, dismissing seven batters (3 caught, 4 stumped) and scoring 199 runs at 66.33 to secure his place in the upcoming Test series against South Africa.
He made his Test debut at Galle on 20–23 July in the first match of the three-match series. Sri Lanka won by an innings and 15 runs. In his team's only innings, Sangakkara was fifth in the batting order and had scored 23 when he was dismissed leg before wicket (lbw) by Nicky Boje. Sri Lanka totalled 522 and then bowled South Africa out for 238 and 269 to win with a day to spare. Sangakkara kept wicket and held two catches to dismiss Gary Kirsten in the first innings and Lance Klusener in the second. Both catches were off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan who took 13 wickets in the match. Sangakkara also dismissed Kirsten in the second innings when he took a throw from Chaminda Vaas to complete a run out.
Nondescripts won the Premier Championship in 2000–01 but Sangakkara missed most of their matches due to international commitments. In October 2000, he travelled to Nairobi and Sharjah for two limited overs competitions. Sri Lanka reached the final of the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy in Sharjah and defeated India by 245 runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 299/5 in their 50 overs. Sangakkara was bowled for 8 by Sachin Tendulkar. India collapsed and were all out for 54 in just 26 overs, Sangakkara completing two dismissals (a catch and a run out).
From November 2000 to February 2001, he was on overseas tours with Sri Lanka who visited South Africa and New Zealand. In South Africa, he played in three Tests and six ODIs as well as some matches against provincial teams; Sri Lanka were heavily beaten in both series. On the second tour, Sri Lanka played ODIs only against New Zealand and Sangakkara played in all five; Sri Lanka won the series 4–1. Returning home, he played in three Tests and three ODIs against England, who toured Sri Lanka in February and March 2001. England won the Test series 2–1 and Sri Lanka won the ODI series 3–0. The second Test, played at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, was highly controversial because of incompetent umpiring by B. C. Cooray whose errors probably cost Sri Lanka the match and the series. One of the consequences was bad feeling between the players and Sangakkara became involved in a heated argument with Michael Atherton, who was seen to be wagging a finger at him. When asked about it afterwards, Atherton alleged that Sangakkara had called the England team "cheats".
The Premier Championship was re-vamped again so that the top four teams in each of Groups A and B formed a Super League. In this, the eight teams played each other once. Winning teams were awarded twelve points and there were also bonus points for achieving batting and bowling targets. Crucially for Nondescripts, the team with the highest first innings total in a drawn match was awarded eight points. Nondescripts, who had finished second in Group B, won only one Super League match while runners-up Burgher Recreation Club won three; and Burgher had a slight advantage in bonus points gained. What made the difference was that Burgher drew their other four games but led on first innings in only one of them, so their total was 44 plus bonuses. Nondescripts drew their other six games and, in all of them including the one against Burgher, were ahead on first innings for a points total of 60 plus bonuses. Sangakkara was only available for the last two matches including the decisive one against Burgher, although he made little impact. Playing as a specialist batter, he scored only 6 in his one innings. Nondescripts scored 372 and then bowled Burgher out for 125 to claim the first innings points. Burgher followed on and were 79/7 when the match ended in a draw. In the final round of matches, Nondescripts met Colombo Cricket Club while Burgher played Tamil Union. Nondescripts were eight points ahead of Burgher and knew they must gain first innings points at least. Sangakkara again made little impact. After Colombo had been dismissed for 246, he opened the innings and was out for 13. Nondescripts were dismissed for 245 and so, unable to claim first innings points, they had to win the match to remain top of the league. In the second innings, Colombo collapsed and were all out for 141 after off spinner Ruwan Kalpage took a career-best 7/27. Sangakkara scored only 14 and Nondescripts struggled, but they managed to reach 143/7 and win by three wickets. As things turned out, Nondescripts could have lost to Colombo and still won the title because Burgher drew with Tamil Union and were behind on first innings.
Nondescripts won the Premier Limited Overs Tournament in 2001–02 but, as before, Sangakkara's involvement was limited by his international commitments. The only match he played in was the final at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on 19 January 2002. Nondescripts defeated Tamil Union by 44 runs. Batting third, Sangakkara scored 98 at exactly one run per ball. He shared a second wicket partnership of 153 with Aravinda de Silva (65) and Nondescripts totalled 278/8 from their 50 overs. Tamil Union were all out for 234. Seeking to defend their Premier Championship title, Nondescripts reached the play-off semi-final but lost to Colts by 2 wickets; Sangakkara scored 20 and 37.
Sri Lanka hosted three three-match Test series from August 2001 to January 2002. The visitors were India in August, West Indies in November and December, and Zimbabwe in December and January. Sri Lanka also took part in the 2001–02 Asian Test Championship.
In his first-class career to date, Sangakkara had been dismissed in the nineties three times, twice in Test matches. In the first Test against India at Galle, he scored 105 not out and helped his team to a ten-wicket victory. He scored his second century in the first Test against West Indies, also at Galle, in November. West Indies batted first and scored 448, largely due to an innings of 178 by Brian Lara which ended when Sangakkara caught him behind off the bowling of Muralitharan. Sri Lanka replied with 590/9 declared. Sangakkara made their top score of 140 before he was run out. He shared a third wicket partnership of 162 with Mahela Jayawardene (99), a forerunner of things to come. West Indies collapsed in their second innings and were all out for 144, Sri Lanka needing only six runs to win by 10 wickets.
India had withdrawn from the Asian Test Championship for political reasons but Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka continued. The latter two contested the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in March and Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets after Sangakkara scored his first double-century with an innings of 230. Pakistan batted first, totalling 234, and Sri Lanka replied with 528. Sangakkara and Jaywardene (68) added 173 for the third wicket. Pakistan were all out for 325 in their second innings, and Sri Lanka needed only 32 to win. Sangakkara was named Player of the Match.
