COLOMBO: Sri Lankan star wicket-keeper cum batsmen Kumar Sangakkara has informed Sri Lanka Cricket that his international career end after three more matches, ESPNcricinfo reported.
According to a report, Kumar Sangakkara is expected to call time on his international career after three further matches – the last of which will be the first Test against India.
The timing of his retirement will be finalised on Tuesday in a meeting with the national selectors, but Sangakkara has already informed the board that he will only play the first two Tests against Pakistan and one against India.
This means Sangakkara is unlikely to play international cricket again in his hometown of Kandy, though he did have an unofficial farewell in Pallekele in December.
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.
