Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara has joined the exclusive group of batsmen to have scored 12,000 Test runs.

The 37-year-old from Matale reached the milestone late on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington as his team seek to square the two-Test series.

The left-hander, playing his 130th Test, needed just five runs to reach the milestone and tucked away a Trent Boult delivery to the legside to reach it.

The crowd at the Basin Reserve rose to their feet to acknowledge the feat.

Sangakkara joins four others to have achieved the feat and who have all retired within the last two years – Indian pair Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Australian Ricky Ponting and South African Jacques Kallis.

Graceful left-hander Sangakkara has a superior average to them all, at 58.2.

The others have averages ranging from 51.9 to 55.4.

He was Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper for 48 Tests early in his career and had a 15-Test spell as captain.

Sri Lanka, after dismissing the hosts for 221, reached 78-5 by the close with Sangakkara unbeaten on 33.

MOST TEST RUNS

15,921 – Sachin Tendulkar (India, 1989-2013, average 53.8)

13,378 – Ricky Ponting (Australia, 1995-2012, 51.9)

13,289 – Jacques Kallis (South Africa, 1995-2013, 55.4)

13,288 – Rahul Dravid (India, 1996-2012, 52.3)

12,028* – Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, 2000-, 58.2)