Kumar Sangakkara hopes Sri Lanka secure victory over Australia in his 100th Test appearance.
Sri Lankan wants to celebrate his 100th Test with success over Australia
Kumar Sangakkara hopes that Sri Lanka will pull off a series-levelling victory over Australia to help him celebrate his 100th Test appearance.
The former Sri Lanka skipper will play his landmark match at the SSC in Colombo from Friday.
He said: "It's a great honour to have represented my country for a period of time and also a great honour to play 100 Test matches.
"It's not often that a player gets that opportunity and I'm very, very proud. I'm also very privileged to be given the opportunity to represent my country and my people for so long."
However, he admitted that the most important aspect is to contribute as much as he can to the side winning games. He continued: "It's nice to participate but you want to say to your team-mates and others that we are winners.
The best
"That is what everyone wants, to go out there and win matches. It's what the whole team is chasing at the moment, to try to win and be the best."
The 33-year-old, who gave up the captaincy after the World Cup in April to concentrate on his batting, will be the fifth Sri Lankan to play a century of Tests after Muttiah Muralitharan (132 matches), Mahela Jayawardene (121), Chaminda Vaas (111) and Sanath Jayasuriya (110).
However, Sri Lanka have not won a Test since Muralitharan, the most prolific bowler in history, retired last year. The side have lost three of the 10 Tests which have been played since then, yet Sangakkara asked fans to be patient.
He also believes that the younger players within the team should be given an extended run in order to prove their worth at the top level.
"They've got to be comfortable in the fact they are here because they are good enough and also they are going to be given a nice, long-lasting run to prove what they can do," he added.
