Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara is to join Surrey, the English county announced today.
Sangakkara is currently ranked as the world's number one Test batsman and is one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the five-day game with 12,203 runs to his credit.
The 37-year-old left-hander is set to rejoin former Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford, now in charge of Surrey.
Sangakkara has signed a two-year contract and should be available for most of the 2015 English season after announcing his intention to retire from one-day internationals following the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand which starts next month, although he could yet extend his Test career later this year.
"We're delighted that Kumar has agreed to join us," Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart said Friday.
"He is the number one Test batsman in the world but it's the special character that he has which is as important to us," the former England captain explained.
"He is a five-star player and five-star person and that is important because he will be working with our young homegrown players as they become serious cricketers at this level."
Stewart added: "He has worked a lot with our coach Graham Ford, when he was in charge of Sri Lanka, and we are both very happy to reach this stage."
Sangakkara first played county cricket for Midlands club Warwickshire ans last season had two games for north-east side Durham, where he finished his brief stint with 159 against Sussex ahead of Sri Lanka's Test series win in England.
In 2014, Sangakkara set a new record for the most international runs scored in a calendar year with 2,868 runs across all formats and started 2015 with a Test match double century against New Zealand in Wellington.
His impending arrival at The Oval could lead to fresh questions about the Surrey future of high-profile England exile Kevin Pietersen given the salary cap limits in place for county squads.
