Kumar Sangakkara becomes 2nd Sri Lankan to reach 19,000 First-class runs
Kumar Sangakkara added another feather to his burgeoning cap on Monday, becoming only the second Sri Lankan cricketer ever to record 19,000 runs in First-class cricket. Sangakkara has represented a number of sides including Central Province, Colombo District Cricket Association, Durham, Kandurata, Marylebone Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club and Warwickshire in his illustrious career.
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Currently playing for Surrey, he reached the landmark in the ongoing match against Nottinghamshire. He was 18 runs short of the landmark figure before the match kicked off and his innings was ended on 29 when he was bowled by Steven Mullaney. By then, he had reached the landmark figure. He is now behind only Gehan Mendis, who is 2,425 runs ahead of him. Mendis, famously played for Lanchashire (1974-1985) and Sussex (1986-1993). Sangakkara is ahead of his close friend Mahela Jayawardane, who has the third highest runs for a Sri Lankan at 17,843.
Top 5 highest scorers for Sri Lanka in First-class cricket:
| Name | Matches | Runs | 100s | 50s |
| Gehan Mendis | 366 | 21,436 | 41 | 108 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 246 | 19,011 | 56 | 81 |
| Mahela Jayawardane | 237 | 17,843 | 51 | 80 |
| Thilan Samaraweera | 271 | 15,501 | 43 | 76 |
| Laddie Outschoorn | 346 | 15,496 | 25 | 81 |
The former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper established his status as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game with his incredible numbers across the various formats in the game. He retired from International cricket after several thousand cheering fans, many of them schoolchildren waving Sri Lankan flags turned out to salute Sangakkara at the end of the second Test against India in Colombo, his last.
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Since his retirement, Kumar Sangakkara has stayed in the news. Partly, due to his performances for Surrey and partly due to a recent controversy regarding the voting for the ‘Greatest ODI batsman of all time’. Sangakkara's highly motivated and extremely passionate supporters delivered the title to the Sri Lankan star, who received more votes than India's Sachin Tendulkar in the final.