It what would be a major blow for Sri Lankan cricket fans, legendary Kumar Sangakkara is likely to retire from all forms of cricket after the ICC World Cup 2015.
The wicketkeeper-batsman will play no more international cricket after the ICC World Cup which would be played in Australia and New Zealand. The coveted event will be played from February 14 to March 29 next year.
Sources said, the 37-year-old had conveyed his decision to the national selectors when he met them at a special meeting on Wednesday. A national selector however, denied such a meeting had taken place.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources said Sangakkara’s manager had intimated the 37-year-old left hander’s decision to the board officials and a media release was expected to be issued last night.
This means that Sri Lanka’s forthcoming ODI series against England comprising seven matches from November 26 to December 16 would be the last time Sangakkara will be seen at an international match on home soil.
Earlier this month, Sangakkara had been rested from the last two ODIs of the five-match series against India. Apart from Sangakkara, Sri Lanka made three more changes for the final two matches with selectors wanting to test fringe players with the World Cup just few months away.
In the second ODI match of the series, Sangakkara achieved a personal milestone as he scored 61 runs off 86 balls and surpassed South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis’ record of 86 half-centuries in one-day internationals, with only Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him now. Sri Lanka lost the five-match series 5-0.
