Sangakkara to retire during India series in August

Sri Lanka’s batting great Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday ended speculation about his future, saying he will retire during the home series against India in August.

“This is my time to call it a day,” Sangakkara, 37, told reporters on the sidelines of the second Test against Pakistan at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo.

The left-hander said he will play two of the three Tests against India that will take place in Sri Lanka in August. The exact dates and venues have not yet been announced.

Sangakkara, the current world leading Test run-getter, said he will also skip the third and final Test of the ongoing series against Pakistan starting in Pallekele on July 3.

“I wanted to retire after the World Cup, but was requested by the selectors to stay on,” he said. “I agreed to play four more Tests.”

Sangakkara’s 12,305 runs and 38 centuries are the most by any batsman still playing Tests, way above second-placed Alastair Cook of England, who has 9,000 runs and 27 hundreds.

(AFP)