Sangakkara set to serve extra year as MCC president

• Presidents of the MCC, the owners of Lord's Cricket Ground in London, are traditionally in office for 12 months.
• The first non-British holder of the position in the club's 233-year history, is in line for an extension due to the disruption caused by COVID-19.

LONDON: Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara is set to serve an extra year as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Presidents of the MCC, the owners of Lord's Cricket Ground in London, are traditionally in office for 12 months.

But Sangakkara, the first non-British holder of the position in the club's 233-year history, is in line for an extension due to the disruption caused by COVID-19.

Sangakkara, who began his term on October 1, 2019, has been invited by the club's committee to serve as president until September 30, 2021.

The motion, however, will need to be approved at the annual general meeting on June 24.

In February, Sangakkara captained MCC on a tour of Pakistan.

The aim was to encourage international teams to tour the country, more than a decade after an armed attack on Sri Lanka's team bus, which wounded the wicketkeeper-batsman.

The 42-year-old Sangakkara, one of the outstanding cricketers of his generation, scored 12,400 Test runs at a impressive average of over 57.

All cricket in England is suspended until July 1 at the earliest due to the coronavirus.

The MCC said it was bracing for significant losses, with the prospect of cricket at Lord's in 2020 looking "increasingly remote".

Members have been told that their annual fees will not be refunded.

"As members we share a responsibility to ensure we keep MCC and Lord's in good shape for future generations," MCC secretary and chief executive Guy Lavender said in an email.