Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews tried to put up a brave front when he said on the eve of the second Test against Pakistan that veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara had yet to make up his mind on retirement.

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Some thought that maybe the left-handed batsman was having second thoughts about calling it a day but he ended all speculation on Saturday by announcing that the second Test against India in August will be his last international assignment.

That he is still playing in Sri Lanka colours is a surprise in itself.

Sangakkara made it clear on various occasions that he wanted to quit after the 2015 World Cup. But he was asked by the team management and board to consider playing for one more year of Test cricket, given that he has been in sensational form of late.

With a staggering 1,438 runs at an average of 71.9 from 11 Tests in 2014, any team would want to have such a batsman around for as long as possible. 

However, the southpaw was having none of it. An agreement was reached with the Sri Lankan board wherein he would play four Tests in all, two each against India and Pakistan and retire.

It has created an odd situation where Sangakkara won’t play the third Test against Pakistan in Pallekele but instead turn out for county side Surrey, with whom he has a two-year contract, and then return for the first two Tests against India.

But given all he has achieved for Sri Lanka during his stellar 15-year career, Sangakkara definitely deserves to walk out on his own terms.

His final T20 assignment was a victorious effort in the 2014 World T20 final while in his final one-day assignment – at this year’s World Cup – he cracked four successive centuries Down Under.

The 37-year-old has more than earned his right to make special demands and the Sri Lankan board must be commended for agreeing to it.

In a way, they had to as they had asked Sangakkara to stay on despite his desire not to.

Even so, matters have been handled smoothly and we can all concentrate on celebrating the batting colossus that is Sangakkara for a couple more Tests.

The Kandy native seemed destined for greatness almost from the moment he started. His first three matches – ODIs against Pakistan and South Africa who each boasted bowlers such as Waqar Younis, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini – saw him score 35, 85 and 36 not out.

His talent proved, Sangakkara went about plundering runs across all formats in every corner of the globe, while keeping wicket to some unique bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga.

Mahela Jayawardene stood by his side during his stupendous rise and the two formed one of the most formidable batting partnerships in the history of cricket.

Jayawardene is out of the picture now and it’s time for Sri Lanks to start learning how to live without Sangakkara.

No cricketer has enjoyed such a brilliant run in the final lap of his career and Sangakkara could easily play on for a couple more years and improve his statistics.

But, having scored 12,305 runs from 132 Tests, the most by a Sri Lankan, and with 38 Test and 63 international tons under his belt, Sangakkara doesn’t have anything else left to prove.

And as they say, it’s better to leave when people are asking why rather than why not.