Durham sign Sri Lankan international on short-term deal

Durham have announced the signing of Sri Lankan international wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara on a short-term deal.

The 36-year-old, who will feature for Sri Lanka against England later in the summer, will play for his new county against Yorkshire and Sussex in the four-day format.

The news will boost Durham’s bid to win back-to-back County Championship Division 1 titles and will also give Sangakkara vital preparation in English conditions ahead of the Test series against England.

And the left-handed top order batsman, who had a spell in county cricket with Warwickshire in 2007, is eager to impress on his short stay in the North East.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to county cricket and I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity,” said Sangakkara.

“I actually made my debut for Warwickshire against Durham back in 2007. I scored a few runs that day, so I’m hoping to make amends this time around.”

Sangakkara has scored 11,151 Test runs for Sri Lanka in 122 matches and will be a crucial part of his side’s chances of success in this summer’s Test series against England.

On top of that, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad star has featured in 369 one-day internationals and 59 T20 games for Sri Lanka and after his two matches for Durham, he will join up with the national side for five ODIs and two Test matches against England.

The Sri Lankans are big outsiders at 5/1 with Ladbrokes to win the first Test of the series at Lord’s, starting on 12 June.

They are on at 8/1 with the bookmaker to cause an even bigger surprise and win the series against an England side who have undergone plenty of changes in recent months.

And new Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu will be hoping one of his key men acclimatises to English conditions quickly and plays a vital role in both the upcoming limited overs and Test series.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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