Sangakkara signs two-year deal with Surrey

England

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara has agreed to join English County side Surrey on a two-year contract when the English cricket season resumes.

Sangakkara, who will end his ODI career after the upcoming World Cup, is currently ranked as the number one batsman in the world in Test cricket.

He will join up at Surrey with coach Graham Ford, who is a former Sri Lankan coach and now in charge at the Oval.

Alec Stewart, the Surrey director of cricket, said: "We're delighted that Kumar has agreed to join us. 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.

"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.

"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."

It is not yet clear, at this stage, exactly how much cricket Sangakkara will be playing in the County season. While he has announced when he will be retiring from the ODI's, he might still decide to prolong his Test career.

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