Solid Kumar Sangakkara Firm on Retirement Plan After Cricket World Cup 2015

Not very often has a young captain "begged" and pleaded with a 37-year-old to reconsider his retirement plans. Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews has done just that and despite four hundreds in World Cup 2015, Kumar Sangakkara is firm that it's time to quit ODIs.

Sangakkara had made his intentions clear before taking the flight Down Under. He had first retired from T20 Internationals last year, before deciding to call time on the other two formats more gradually. The World Cup is set to be Sangakkara's last ODI tournament and the Test series against India in August will be his swansong. (Full World Cup Coverage | Points Table)

Given his current form, Sangakkara's exit would look premature, but the former Sri Lankan skipper thinks otherwise.

"Retirement is not about form, it is about time and place and whether it feels right. It is never about whether you can play or not. It feels the right time to retire for various reasons and I am not going to be changing my plans," Sangakkara wrote in his newspaper column.

Great players dream of leaving on a high. The likes of Virender Sewhag, Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen have been hanging on with hopes of one last chance at redemption. Not Sangakkara.

After he became the first player to hit four straight hundreds in ODIs, the charismatic left-handed batsman has resisted Mathews' overtures to try and retain him. With scores of 39, 7, 105*, 117*, 104 and 124, Sangakkara has already amassed 496 runs and is the leading run-getter of World Cup 2015. But Mathews' desperate plea is unlikely to move the genial Sangakkara.

Sangakkara has lived his life with dignity and played his game with pride. Therefore, he would rather have people ask 'why now?' rather than 'why not now?'. But it has taken immense hard-work to reach such a stage in his career. In an era, where hard-hitting batsmen have dominated the game, the former Sri Lankan captain quickly adapted and delivered. He owed the transformation to his father.

"My father, who has helped me throughout my career, used to tell me as a boy that I must "never be afraid of change" and that has been an important lesson for me," wrote Sangakkara, whose counterparts at No. 3 include the likes of Virat Kohli (India), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Marlon Samuels (West Indies) and Steve Smith (Australia). All of them young, vibrant and exclusive. But Sangakkara has been undeterred and even outperformed them in the first leg of the World Cup. (Gilchrist Praises Sangakkara With Hilarious Tweet)

Sangakkara said he spent the last two years fine-tuning strokes to suit the shorter formats of the game. His enhanced decision-making has been key to his breathtaking consistency and high strike-rate, an important asset in the modern game. No one will grudge Sangakkara his well-deserved success at the twilight of a great career. Least of all, his teammates.

Sangakkara's legacy as a team-man will continue to live long after his records are shattered. Far from enjoying his dizzying heights with the bat, Sanga is focused on the next level.

"We're happy to have qualified (for the quarters) and looking forward to the next stage. It's not been easy. It would have been nice to have sailed through without a defeat but a few bumps were always likely given the quality of teams in this World Cup and the conditions," said Sangakkara. His form and resolve will be further tested when Sri Lanka play South Africa (most likely) in the World Cup quarterfinals.