Kumar Sangakkara set to retire from First Class cricket

Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara is all set to retire from First Class cricket at the conclusion of the English county season this year. The First Class cricket season in England will end in September this year. He is currently playing for Surrey in the tournament. He has been performing exceptionally well in the recent times. Kumar Sangakkara had retired from international cricket back in the year 2015.

The Test series against India was his last assignment in international cricket. He finished as the 5th leading run-scorer in Test cricket history. With 12,400 runs to his name in 134 Tests at an average of 57.40, Sangakkara has always been a stalwart of the game. Sangakkara confirmed his retirement from First Class cricket recently. As per the quotes in News18, he noted that he is on the wrong side of the age cap.

“You try to fight the inevitable but you need to get out while you’re ahead. It’s the last time I’ll play a four-day game here. I’ll be 40 in a few months, this is about the end of my time in county cricket,” quoted Kumar Sangakkara.

Knowing the saturation

He further added that it is of utmost importance to know when a player has reached the expiry date of their playing career. At times, they might end up playing more and in a way, hamper their own chances in the game. He called himself lucky to have served the game of cricket for so long in his illustrious career.

“My career might have a few more months (left) but that’s about it. The biggest mistake that sometimes you can make is that you think you’re better than you really are. Cricketers, or any sort of sportsperson, have an expiry date and you need to walk away,” he quoted.

“I have been very lucky to play for as long as I did so but there’s a lot more life to be lived away from the game,” Sangakkara conceded further.