COLOMBO // Sri Lanka's opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya will retire from all forms of international cricket after the first one-day match of their England tour later this month, he said today.
The 41-year-old all-rounder from Matara, who quit Test cricket in 2007, made the announcement after Sri Lanka Cricket recalled him for the T20 and one-day squads to face England.
"I called you here to inform (you of) my retirement from all forms of (international) cricket after 20 years of play," Jayasuriya told reporters in Colombo.
"I'll retire after playing a one-day and a T20 game," he said. Sri Lanka face England in a Twenty20 match on June 25 before the first one-dayer at the Oval three days later.
"I will continue to play league matches and domestic cricket," he told Reuters when asked if he would quit all form of cricket.
Jayasuriya, who helped Sri Lanka to their only World Cup triumph in 1996, remains the island nation's highest run scorer in one-day internationals with 13,428 runs from 444 matches after making his international debut in ODIs on December 26,1989, a week after the leading run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian batsman made his debut earlier in Tests a month ago in November against Pakistan.
Jayasuriya has also scored 6,973 runs in 110 Test matches, and captured 98 wickets.
He was left out of Sri Lanka's World Cup team early this year due to poor performance.
Jayasuriya was elected as a member of parliament last year for Sri Lanka's ruling party. "I will serve people in my electorate in future and also I will work for the betterment of cricket," he said.
