SO LONG, MATHEWS
The Sri Lankan all-rounder will retire from Test cricket after the first match against Bangladesh, but hopes to continue playing white-ball cricket until the 2026 T20 World Cup © AFP
Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who will retire from Test cricket after the opening game of the two-match series against Bangladesh in Galle, said on Monday that he is targeting the 2025 T20 World Cup as the swansong for his white-ball career, depending on his fitness.
All of Galle is preparing to bid a grand farewell to Mathews, who began his Test journey at the same venue in 2009 against Pakistan.
“It’s a coincidence. I had my debut in Galle. I played my 100th Test in Galle. And I’m going to say goodbye in Galle,” Mathews told reporters on Monday. “The main reason is that we don’t have many games coming up. After this, our next Test assignment is a year away. That’s a very long time.
“I thought it’s best to give an opportunity to the one replacing me in the second Test match because he’s not going to get another chance till next year. And in a year, you never know what could happen. So I thought I’ll play one game and then step aside to let the other guy have his opportunity.”
Mathews also revealed he has spoken to the selectors about playing the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka.
“There are six more months until the next T20 World Cup, and I’ll give it a try depending on what my body tells me,” he said. “I hope to retire from white-ball cricket at that World Cup. If we can win another World Cup, I’ll try to contribute toward that. So I’ll do everything I can to improve my fitness and skills over the next six months.”
Reflecting on his career, Mathews expressed satisfaction but acknowledged paying the price for poor workload management.
“I’m quite happy,” he said. “I couldn’t bowl much since 2016 because, from 2008 to 2015, I was playing in all formats as an all-rounder. That eventually took a toll on my body because I didn’t care much about workload management. I was captain at the time and wanted to contribute in every single game. Bat, ball, and field. But I didn’t manage my body well.
“Obviously, it took a huge toll on me. But I have no regrets because I tried to give my best to my country and my team.”
Mathews believes Sri Lanka’s cricket is moving in the right direction. He attributed much of the recent progress to improved communication within the system.
“The future looks bright,” he said. “Since Sanath (Jayasuriya) took over, and Upul Tharanga and his team came in, the communication has been excellent. Whether it’s seniors, juniors, or anyone else, they always communicated with us. That matters.
“Communication is key to having a good environment and performance will follow. We’ve seen that. We’ve done extremely well in Test matches. We even had a chance to be in the WTC final. And in ODIs and T20s, we’ve done very well in the last two years.
“So the communication was clear. The environment was good. That’s why performance kept getting better,” he added. “They’re doing a great job. There’s a lot of talent and many players coming through the ranks. The future looks bright.”
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said that the team is hoping to give Mathews the send-off he deserves.
“We want to win the match for Angelo and give him a good farewell,” Dhananjaya said on Monday. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that for Dimuth (Karunaratne). Personally, I’m hoping we can do it for Angelo.
“He’s a big player for us, especially with all his experience. But we do have other players. Some promising youngsters and back-ups are coming through.”
© Cricbuzz
