Sangakkara signs up for Australia's Big Bash

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara has given Australia's domestic Twenty20 league a major shot in the arm by signing up to play for the Hobart Hurricanes from next season. Sangakkara, who retired from limited-overs internationals after the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, will be based at the picturesque Bellerive Oval for the next two editions of the Big Bash. "I have always loved Hobart when visiting with the Sri Lankan team, the people are friendly, the scenery is beautiful and I am looking forward to spending more time there and getting to see more of it," the 37-year-old said in a statement. Sangakkara has scored three centuries in seven tests and one-dayers at Bellerive Oval, including 192 in a test against Australia in 2007 and an unprecedented fourth straight ODI century against Scotland during the World Cup. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)