Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara has confirmed his retirement from ODI cricket following the conclusion of the World Cup, despite his record-breaking form, insisting that retirement is not about form, but about whether it feels right.
Sangakkara hit his fourth successive ODI hundred as Sri Lanka beat Scotland at the World Cup on Wednesday. He later confirmed that he would play no more ODI cricket following the tournament.
Sangakkara said that retirement is not about form, it is about time and place and whether it feels right, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said after the 148-run Pool A victory at Bellerive Oval, Hobart that he had been on his knees begging Sangakkara to continue his limited-overs career after the World Cup.
However, Sangakkara has claimed that even his current run of form would not prompt a re-evaluation, adding that it is never about whether one could play or not.
The Sri Lanka wicket-keeper, who made his ODI debut in 2000, says that the physical effects of the game are starting to take their toll.
The former skipper said that he has been batting and keeping for a long time, adding that it's getting harder and the joints are creaking and aching, but insisted that he considers himself flucky to be part of a great team.
Sangakkara recorded his fifth World Cup century, one behind the record of six held by Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, as Sri Lanka confirmed their place in the quarterfinals of the World Cup with an emphatic victory over Preston Mommsen's side, the report added.
