Sri Lanka's veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara will quit international cricket after the second Test against India in August, the 37-year-old left-hander said on Saturday.
The dates of the series against India are yet to be announced.
"I wanted to retire after the World Cup, but was requested by the selectors to stay on. I agreed to play four more Tests," said the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman.
Sangakkara had already retired from One-Day Internationals and is currently playing his 132nd Test against Pakistan in Colombo.
The world's active leading Test run-getter, he also said that he would not play the third and final Test match of the ongoing series against Pakistan, starting on July 3 in Pallekele.
He has scored more than 26,500 runs for his country in his nearly 15-year career.
The player, who made his Test debut against South Africa in 2000, has so far played 131 matches, scoring 12,271 runs, including 38 tons and 52 half-centuries, at an average of 58.43.
Sangakkara figures in top five highest Test scorers in the world.
"I don't want to prolong my career for records. I don't want to extend my career for individual records. This is the time to go," he insisted.
"I am going to miss playing for Sri Lanka a lot. I had the time of my life playing for Sri Lanka. I enjoyed playing every format but donning whites for Sri Lanka has been special," he said.
"I can walk away happy that good days outweigh the disappointments," added the veteran.
He said that Sri Lanka's future is in safe hands of captain Angelo Mathews.
"There is a lot of talent and ability in the dressing room. Angelo is a fantastic cricketer and captain. He is the ideal man to lead Sri Lanka. I wish there will be real culture of fearless cricket. Give this team a period of a year and they will come a long way."
Sangakkara dismissed the idea of becoming a coach.
"I don't know if I will have the patience for that," he said with a laugh.
Asked when the thought of retirement struck him, Sangakkara said: "My father asked me a couple of years ago 'don't you think it's time to think of retirement?' I was shocked. But it struck home that it was time to think of the future."
Factbox on Kumar Sangakkara
* Born on Oct. 27, 1977, in Matale.
* Played 404 One-Day Internationals since his 2000 debut, scoring 14,234 runs with a highest score of 169. Only Sachin Tendulkar of India (18,426) has scored more runs in 50-over cricket.
* Currently playing his 132nd test, Sangakkara has amassed 12,305 runs at a 58-plus average, which makes him Sri Lanka's most prolific batsman and fifth on the list of highest scorers of all time in test cricket.
* Sangakkara has registered 38 test hundreds and is one short of Australian great Donald Bradman's record 12 double centuries.
* He won two 50-over World Cup runners-up medals, in 2007 and 2011.
* He was part of the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup-winning squad.
* Sangakkara made 1,382 runs from 56 Twenty20 Internationals at an average of 31.40.
* He was a member of the Sri Lanka touring team in Pakistan that was attacked by gunmen in 2009.
© 2024 Rediff.com -