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Kumar Sangakkara to retire from T20 Internationals after ICC World T20 2014

Kumar Sangakkara has played 50 Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka so far.

Kumar Sangakkara has been a great servant of Sri Lankan cricket over the years
Kumar Sangakkara has been a great servant of Sri Lankan cricket over the years © AFP

 

Colombo: Mar 16, 2014

 

Sri Lanka‘s Kumar Sangakkara will retire from Twenty20 Internationals after the ongoing ICC World T20 2014 in Bangladesh, the veteran left-hander told a newspaper on Sunday.

 

The 36-year-old said he wanted to make way for younger players in the national team, but made himself available to play the shortest format in franchise-based competitions.

 

“Definitely, without a doubt, this is my last World T20,” Sangakkara told the Colombo-based Sunday Island newspaper. “I won’t be playing any T20 Internationals after this.

 

“It’s sad, but that’s the truth. It’s not the end of my T20 career though. I would like to play franchise-based T20s. Once your World Cup prospects are over, you should give the next crop of players an opportunity. It’s a natural progression.”

 

Sangakkara, under whom Sri Lanka reached the final of the ICC World T20 2009 in England, has played 50 T20 Internationals, scoring 1,311 runs at an average of 32.77 with seven half-centuries.

 

He has been in prime form of late, smashing a triple-century and a hundred in the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong last month.

 

Sri Lanka, the world’s No 1 T20I side, are drawn with South Africa, England, New Zealand and a yet-to-be decided qualifier in the Super 10 round of the World T20.

 

Former Sri Lanka batsman Russel Arnold tweeted this:

 

 

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