Kumar Sangakkara has said that the 2015 World Cup could be his final ODI tournament but he has plans to extend his Test career for a while longer. Sangakkara has already quit T20 internationals, Sri Lanka’s victorious World T20 campaign in April being his last outing in the format.
“That [2015 World Cup] might be my last assignment in that form of the game, and looking at Test cricket, there might be another series left in me,” Sangakkara said.
“It depends on the chat I’ll have with the selectors and the authorities back home. I’ll be 37 at the end of this year, and I’m fully aware that it’s fast approaching the time when either you go, or you get asked to leave.” , With 12,500 runs from 369 games, Sangakkara is the fourth leading run-getter in ODIs behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Sanath Jayasuriya, while his 11,151 runs from 122 matches put him ninth on the list in Tests in an international career that has spanned 14 years.
He has also been involved in two World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011 and three World T20 finals in 2009, 2012 and 2014, playing a key role in the latest one with a match-winning, unbeaten fifty as Sri Lanka finally broke their run of losing at the last stage of a world event.
Despite admitting that the end was near, Sangakkara said he still derived pleasure from stepping onto the field for his nation. “I still enjoy playing, and wearing the Sri Lankan shirt. There’s still a huge enjoyment factor that comes with playing. As players, we’re been very, very lucky. It’s a high-paid job that allows you to travel the world and earn a living playing outdoors. I can’t really complain.”
Sangakkara is currently in England and will play two County Championship matches for Durham, against Yorkshire and Sussex, in preparation for Sri Lanka’s tour later this month to acclimatise to early English summer conditions and the Duke ball.