Most international runs in a calendar year

In 2014, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) amassed 2,868 runs in 48 international matches - 1,493 in Tests, 1,256 in One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 119 in Twenty20 Internationals. In 57 innings during the course of the year, the prolific batsman/wicket-keeper, who celebrated his 37th birthday in October 2014, faced 4,254 balls and compiled eight hundreds, the biggest of which was a Test innings of 319 against Bangladesh on 4-5 February. Sangakkara retired from Twenty20 Internationals in 2014, signing off with 52 not out in the World T20 final against India in Mirpur, Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets on 6 April 2014. At the time of writing (7 January 2015), he was scheduled to play his final ODIs at the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February/March 2015. Sangakkara's Test career, however, continues to go from strength to strength. On 3-4 January 2015, he scored his 11th Test double hundred in the Second Test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand - only Australian legend Don Bradman has more Test double hundreds (12).

As of the end of 2014, Sangakkara headed a calendar-year runs list that featured Ricky Ponting (Australia; 2,833 runs from 46 matches/58 innings in 2005) at No.2 and Sri Lankan teammate Angelo Mathews (2,687 runs from 53 matches/59 innings in 2014) at No.3.

Sangakkara also scored 2,000+ combined Test, ODI and Twenty20 runs in 2006 (2,609 runs from 50 matches/55 innings), 2009 (2,436 runs from 50 matches/59 innings), 2011 (2,267 runs from 42 matches/50 innings), 2012 (2,148 runs from 51 matches/57 innings) and 2004 (2,124 runs from 38 matches/43 innings).

Sangakkara's total of 2,868 runs excludes the 16 runs he scored in the first innings of the Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, which started on 31 December 2013.

Number fact: 26,957 - total runs scored by Kumar Sangakkara in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals combined since 2000, as of 7 January 2015. Only India's Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 in 1989-2013) and Australia's Ricky Ponting (27,483 in 1995-2012) have scored more runs across all three formats.

Trivia: On 27-29 July 2006, Kumar Sangakkara (287) and Mahela Jayawardene (374) put on 624 runs in 157 overs against South Africa at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was a record partnership for any wicket in Test match history.

Sangakkara's other achievements include becoming the fastest man to 12,000 Test runs (in his 224th innings, on 3 January 2015) and, as a wicket-keeper, the most stumpings in an ODI career (93 as of 7 January 2015). As of the same date, with 370 catches and 93 stumpings (a total of 463 dismissals), he was just nine dismissals behind Australia's Adam Gilchrist (472), the most successful wicket-keeper in ODI history.