LAHORE: Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara has also given his consent to play the Pakistan Super League after making himself available for the player draft, which is set to take place in December, a PCB spokesman said on Tuesday.

One of the finest cricketers of the modern era who retired from the international scene after a last Test appearance during the second match of the series against India in August this year, Sangakkara, however, is also considered as a spent force in the T20 format after quitting from it in April last year when Sri Lanka won the World T20 title.

The legendary wicket-keeper/batsman had also called it day from one-day cricket after the 2015 World Cup where Sri Lanka were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by South Africa. These days, Sangakkara has confined himself to league cricket and will officially retire from first-class game after completing the final season of his two-year contract with English county Surrey in 2016.

Sangakkara brings a lot of experience to the PSL draft as he has played 134 Tests and 404 ODIs, besides 56 T20.

The PSL takes place from Feb 4 to 24 in Dubai and Sharjah, with five city-based franchises set to take part. Teams from Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, and Islamabad will take part in the first edition.

“Sangakkara is a world-class sportsman and we are excited to welcome him on board. He brings a wealth of experience to the PSL. His inclusion makes the player draft even more exciting,” said Najam Sethi, chairman of PSL governing council, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2015

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