Wellington, Jan 3 (IANS): Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara Saturday became the fastest player to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket, achieving the milestone in 224 innings.

Sangakkara beat legends Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting to the landmark by 23 Test innings, joining batting greats Tendulkar, Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid in the exclusive club.

Sangakkara scored the five runs he was searching for on day one of the second Test against New Zealand, avoiding the carnage on a green pitch here that saw 15 wickets fall on the opening day’s play.

The 37-year-old wicketkeeper batsman averages more than 58 in 130 Tests with a phenomenal 37 Test centuries, the biggest of which was a 319-run knock against Bangladesh in Chittagong in February 2014.

Sangakkara was the leading run-scorer in Tests in 2014, collecting 1,493 runs in 12 matches at an average of 71.09 with four tons.

In 82 Tests playing as a specialist batsman, Sangakkara has scored more than 8,800 runs with 30 centuries at an average nudging 70.

He’s also scored at least 150 against all Test playing nations since debuting against South Africa in Galle in 2000.