COLOMBO: Sri Lankan star wicket-keeper cum batsmen Kumar Sangakkara has announced his retirement from international cricket here in Colombo on Saturday.
The 37-year-old left-hander said he will play two of the three Tests against India that are to take place in Sri Lanka in August. The exact dates and venues have not yet been announced.
Sangakkara will also miss the third and final Test of the ongoing series against Pakistan. The timing of his retirement was finalised in a meeting with the national selectors.
Sangakkara had originally intended to retire from all formats following the World Cup, but was convinced to stay on for two more series by the former selectors and captain Angelo Mathews, among others.
With 12,203 Test runs, 38 Test hundreds and an average of 58.66, Sangakkara will retire as Sri Lanka’s most successful Test batsman, and will likely stay fifth on the overall run-tally. Having hit a double ton in January this year, he is also only one short of Donald Bradman’s record double century count of 12.
Sangakkara was the fastest batsman to 8000, 9000, 10,000 (joint fastest with Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara), 11,000 and 12,000 Test runs, in terms of innings played, and presently the top-ranked Test batsman in the world.
