Kumar Sangakkara scores a century of centuries

Earlier, Sangakkara fell just 16 runs short of becoming the fourth player ever to score centuries in six successive first-class innings. Notwithstanding that failure, he continued his rich vein of form in the limited-overs tournament and with his 121-run innings, he helped Surrey reach the semi-final of the Royal London Cup.

“The set-up at Surrey is excellent. They really understand what players need and it’s that kind of balance and playing in a team of good players and people that helps keep you focused and fresh.”

Despite his advancing years, Sangakkara's batting prowess has not dwindled a bit and he has continued to amass runs at will in almost every part of the cricketing world. But the 39-year-old doesn’t want to stay on for too long in the fear of ending up as a pale shadow of his former self. 

"The biggest mistake that sometimes you can make is that you think you're better than you really are," he said. "Cricketers, or any sort of sportsperson, have an expiry date and you need to walk away. I have been very lucky to play for as long as I did so but there's a lot more life to be lived away from the game," he said.