Sri Lankan Cricket Captain Sangakkara resigns

Sri Lankan Cricket Captain Kumara Sangakkara has resigned from the post of captaincy after handing in his resignation today.

Sangakkara was earlier quoted in the media saying that he was going to quit the national cricket team's captaincy.

Sangakkara had said he has already met the Sri Lanka Cricket officials and communicated his decision and had said he felt that following the ICC World Cup finals defeat at the hands of Indian team it was time someone else took over as the captain of the Lankan cricket team.

Meanwhile, Sangakkara's manager, Charlie Austin has confirmed to the media that Sangakkara had handed in his resignation.

Austin has said that Sangakkara had resigned from the one day international (ODI) and T20 captaincy and had proposed to step down from the test captaincy as well.

Sangakkara has requested Sri Lanka Cricket to release the following statement to the media today.

I would like to announce that after careful consideration I have concluded that it is in the best long-term interests of the team that I step down now as national captain so that a new leader can be properly groomed for the 2015 World Cup in Australia.

This was a decision I made prior to the 2011 World Cup. I will be 37 by the next World Cup and I cannot therefore be sure of my place in the team. It is better that Sri Lanka is led now by a player who will be at the peak of their career during that tournament.

It has been a true honour and a great privilege to serve my country as captain during the past two years and, although bitterly disappointed that we could not win the final, I am very proud of the performances of the team.

I am also very grateful for the wonderful support received from Sri Lankan fans all around the world. Our supporters were a source of great inspiration before, during and after the tournament and I know all the players are extremely thankful for this.

I met with the selectors on Monday and I explained my reasons for my decision and I assured them of my fullest support in helping our new captain settle into the leadership.

In this regard, I have offered to continue as the Test captain for the forthcoming series with England and possibly Australia if the selectors believe this would help the new captain and aid the transition.

I have no plans of retirement from international cricket at this stage and subject to form and fitness I would like to be considered for selection in all three formats of the game for the foreseeable future.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team-mates and the coaching staff for their hard-work and support. I would also like to thank my wife Yehali, my young twins and family for being willing to sacrifice so much to allow me to lead the team.