Kumar Sangakkara turns into a Taylor Swift fan

Sri Lanka cricketing legend Kumar Sangakkara says he has become a Taylor Swift fan, thanks to his children.

The Dorset Echo quoted Sangakkara as saying that his three children had turned him into a Taylor Swift fan,

Dorset resident Sangakkara guested at a fundraiser, set up by Shillingstone Cricket Club, in aid of the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.

The cause is a dear one to Shillingstone, who required the help of the air ambulance last season when a player fell ill during a match against Bere Regis.

Some £3,000 was raised on the night through ticket sales and an auction, items sold including wines, beer, a signed Bournemouth shirt, a four-ball at the Dorset Golf & Country Club, pads and gloves donated by Sangakkara himself, an Apple watch plus more.

There are also three special items currently on offer at an online auction.

Bidders can choose between a round of golf for two with Sangakkara, two hospitality tickets for day three of the England v Sri Lanka Test match this September or two hospitality tickets for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Sangakkara’s presence, though, ensured more than a hundred cricket fans turned out to support the event.

The famed Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter scored more than 28,000 runs across all three formats and is now a coach at Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) plus a philanthropist and commentator. (Colombo Gazette / Dorset Echo)