As Sri Lankan cricket's greatest ambassador Kumar Sangakkara prepares to bow out, he termed his decade and a half in the game as a "great one" with the biggest regret being not able to win the ICC ODI World Cup despite being a part of two summit clashes
Galle: As Sri Lankan cricket's greatest ambassador Kumar Sangakkara prepares to bow out, he termed his decade and a half in the game as a "great one" with the biggest regret being not able to win the ICC ODI World Cup despite being a part of two summit clashes.
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"I would have loved to win a 50-over World Cup. We had two chances but we didn't convert them. It would have been great had we won a Test series in India as well. So there are things that could have been but I think that's the way the game goes," Sangakkara, one of the most articulate man to have graced the cricket field told reporters during his farewell press conference. Sangakkara said that there are regrets but he would not lose his sleep over them.
"There are regrets but not regrets that I will be thinking about for years and years, and be bitter about. I have had a great career. I have enjoyed everything ¿ the wins and the losses. The bad times and the good times, everything has been a great experience," said the player, who has close to 28,000 international runs with 63 hundreds.
"It would have been nice to win a few more Test matches away from home, especially in Australia. And I remember going to England with the team last year and beating England 1-0 in that series. It was the best overseas tour I have been on." He also recalled Sri Lanka's 2006 tour of England.
"In 2006, we drew 1-1 and won the one-day series 5-0 in England. That was a great tour," he added. When asked as to why he would not be playing all the three Tests against India, Sangakkara said that he had already discussed the issue with the country's cricket bosses and the arrangement was to play two Tests before retiring after he was persuaded to continue at the completion of 2015 World Cup.
"The reason for the two and two Tests split (between Pakistan and India series), even though it is not ideal, was the agreement I had with the previous selection committee when I was discussing my future," Sangakkara revealed.
"I had plans to retire immediately after the World Cup but they wanted me to try and play a bit more Test cricket. This was all I could offer them and I said as long as they were okay and the board is okay with that, I will be willing to play four more Test matches.
"They were okay with that and I said if they were not, tell me that that would be fine and I can then retire after the World Cup. That's why it's a two and two split."
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