Kumar Sangakkara Adamant About ODI Retirement

Sri Lankan batting legend Kumar Sangakkara has maintained that he has no plans to reverse his retirement decision after his side’s World Cup quarter-final loss to South Africa in Sydney on Wednesday.

Sangakkara, who is currently the leading run scorer in the World Cup, stated that the match against South Africa was his last for Sri Lanka in One-Day Internationals despite being in top form with the willow.

“You know retirement from cricket is never about form.

“At least for me personally, it never is. I am sure I can play a year or two maybe.

“Like I said before, I feel that the time is right and the World Cup with the four-year wait in between is the time to do it.

“So, I’m pretty happy with the decision I’ve made.”

The wicket-keeper batsman who has an aggregate of 14,234 ODI runs which is second only to India’s Sachin Tendulkar, thanked his fans and well wishers for all the support bestowed on him throughout his career.

While reflecting on his ODI career that spanned 15 years, the 37-year-old stressed that the game was more important than any individual.

“I’ve tried to give it my everything when I played the game and the game goes on.

“You shouldn’t hold on to it and people shouldn’t be too sentimental.

“I know they are and I love the support they’ve given me over the years.

“I’ve become a better player as a result of that love and support but at the end of the day, lot of better players and greater players have gone who have passed on the mantle to other players.

“So, in my case it won’t be any different.”

Expressing disappointment over Sri Lanka’s emphatic loss in the quarter-final, Sangakkara opined that his side didn’t show the skills to compete in a pressure game.

“It’s disappointing to lose especially in a quarter-final.

“But to win against a side like South Africa, we need to do really well, need to compete.”

The 65-run partnership between Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne was the only bright spot in the otherwise shambolic batting display by Sri Lanka.

Sangakkara himself wasn’t at his fluent best as he a labored his way to a 94-ball 45 while Thirimanne seemed the more aggressive batsman with a 48-ball 41.

“There was a stage where we were four wickets down when we probably could have gone through the powerplay and maybe got to the 240-250 mark.

“But then again, couple of wickets fell and six wickets soon became seven and eight very quickly.”

The last six Sri Lankan wickets fell for a mere 19 runs and Sangakkara admitted that losing wickets in clumps adversely affected the momentum of Sri Lanka’s innings.

“That was the case if you take our innings altogether. Lot of stop-starts and wickets falling together.

“We were expecting like anyone else of ourselves.

“But at the end of the day, we just weren’t good enough.”

Sangakkara also opened up on his next assignment of playing for Surrey and the experience of playing with Kevin Pietersen who is working ways to stage a comeback in the England team.

“I am looking forward to be at Surrey. KP (Pietersen) is coming back is what I hear and that will be very exciting in the dressing room.

“I reckon he will be fantastic. He is a magnificient player.

“He has been through some tough times and I am sure that would have surely shaped him as a person and had him think things through.

“I just think he is a great player and anyone will be happy such a player coming into your side.”

I am sure he is looking to knock in the door (England team) and hopefully gets in.

Sangakkara, who became the first player in ODIs to score four successive centuries compiled 93 fifties in his career which is again second only to Tendulkar.

Having quit ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals, Sangakkara will end his career as an international cricketer in August when he retires from Tests after the series against India at home.

© Cricket World 2015