Kumar Sangakkara hates failing and Sri Lanka’s coaching staff hate it just as much.

For them it means hundreds of throwdowns for the dedicated 37-year-old as he seeks to get his technique back in order.

After failing twice in the eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch – both times to left-armer Trent Boult – he hit the nets to sort things out.

“When he fails it’s a coach’s nightmare – you have to throw like for hours and hours,” captain Angelo Mathews said before the Wellington Test.

His dedication paid off with his 38th Test ton and he then converted that into his 11th Test double century on his way to 203 at the Basin Reserve to help Sri Lanka assume control of the second Test.

“I spent the week leading up to Christchurch thinking about what style of batting would work for me on this tour,” he said.

But his feet failed to move in both innings at the Hagley Oval and it was back to the nets to find an answer.

“I spent the next three days trying to understand what I should do with my body and my set up to try and get my feet moving a bit better, and my bat going in the direction of the swing, especially to Boult, because he was to me the biggest threat that I was facing.

“I tweaked and tweaked, and kept hitting balls with the fielding coach throwing at me and I felt pretty comfortable that it was working well, to a left armer. And it worked well.”

Did it ever.

A day after passing 12,000 runs in Test cricket – the fifth and fastest to do so – he now lies just one double ton away from the record dozen made by the great Don Bradman.

The veteran is unsure if he will continue his Test career after this year’s World Cup and hinted his family may force his hand.

“It’s never the lack of desire or the lack of pride you take in playing for your country that makes you take a decision to say that’s enough.

“It’s just a case of sometimes just knowing it. You could be staying at home, you could be playing with your kids, you could be talking with your family or having dinner somewhere, and the thought could hit you: maybe this is the right time.

“It’s a really tough decision to make, but the important thing is that that window of opportunity is really small. If you miss it, you don’t know what will happen after that,” he said.

His innings at the Basin Reserve, where he made an unbeaten 156 in 2006, took his Test average to 58.92.