Surrey's Kumar Sangakkara to quit county cricket at the end of the season

Kumar Sangakkara will see out the season with Surrey before quitting first-class cricket at its conclusion.

The great Sri Lankan batsman announced his intention to make 2017 his last year in the county game, though he will continue – at least for a short time – to play in Twenty20 franchise leagues around the world.

Sangakkara scored twin centuries to help Surrey draw with Middlesex at Lord’s over the last four days – as his portrait was unveiled at the home of cricket. It is rare for active players to have the honour of playing at Lord’s while their portrait hangs in the Long Room.

Sangakkara told the BBC: “I will be 40 in October. This is about the end of my time in county cricket. You try to fight the inevitable but you need to get out while you're ahead. My career might have a few more months but that’s about it.

“I've got a couple of contracts I have to honour this year and one at the start of the next year. No-one wants an old dog just playing for the sake of playing. “I think it's a good thing that all these [Twenty20] competitions push you to perform. That's the incentive because otherwise, if you're going to be a part of a side just to be the benchmark name, that's a bit disappointing.” Sangakkara joined Surrey in 2015 and has started this season superbly. He has already made five centuries and three fifties across four-day and one-day cricket.