On this day in 2015, former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara bid adieu to international cricket
On August 24 in 2015, former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara announced his retirement from the international cricket, thus bidding adieu to his 15-year-long illustrious career.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) took to its official Twitter handle and informed its followers that Sangakkara called curtains on his illustrious career on this day five years ago.
Posting a picture of Sangakkara, the world’s cricket governing body said that the Sri Lankan great finished his career with a total of 28,016 runs across the three formats of the game.
“#OnThisDay in 2015, Kumar Sangakkara bid farewell to international cricket.The Sri Lanka legend finished with 28,016 runs, including 63 centuries,” the ICC tweeted.
#OnThisDay in 2015, Kumar Sangakkara bid farewell to international cricket.
The Sri Lanka legend finished with 28,016 runs, including 63 centuries pic.twitter.com/Ammqz0vGBS
— ICC (@ICC) August 24, 2020
Sangakkara’s last international fixture was the second Test of India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2015 at P Sara Oval in Colombo.However, it was not the kind of swansong Sangakkara had dreamt of as he could manage only scores of 32 and 18 across the two innings as the visitors went on to win by 278 runs after bundling out Sri Lanka for 134 in their chase of 413 runs.
Sangakkara made his international debut for Sri Lanka with a One-Day International (ODI) match against Pakistan at Galle International Stadium in July 2000.
In the same month,the 42-year-old made his Test debut for the national side against South Africa. He received his maiden cap in the shortest format of the game much later in 2006 during a T20I series against England.
Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sangakkara has notched up 12,400 runs in 124 Tests, 14,234 runs in 404 ODIs and 1,382 runs in 56 Twenty20Is he played for Sri Lanka.
In February 2009, Mahela Jayawardene stepped down as the captain of the Sri Lankan men’s cricket team and Sangakkara succeeded him at the role in all formats of the game.
Under Sangakkara’s captaincy, Sri Lanka have won 54 out of 134 Tests, 217 out of 404 ODIs and 34 out of 56 T20Is.
At the time of his retirement, Sangakkara was the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs and sixth-highest run scorer in the longest format of the game.
The Sri Lankan great was also a part of the team that made it to the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. Sangakkara was also declared the Man of the Match award in the summit showdown of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, the event which Sri Lanka won for the first time.
