Angelo Mathews will bid adieu to Check cricket following Sri Lanka’s Check match towards Bangladesh at Galle. Mathews has referred to as for extra Check matches for Sri Lanka, stating that his nation has achieved a lot for cricket.
Angelo Mathews, who is ready to retire from Check cricket, has referred to as for extra Check matches for Sri Lanka, saying that the nation deserves to play the longest format similar to India, Australia and England.
Sri Lanka will play solely 4 Check matches in 2025, their fewest since 2013, excluding the Covid-impacted 2020. Sri Lanka will play solely 12 Exams within the new cycle with six two-match sequence lined up. Australia will play the utmost – 22, adopted by England’s 21 and India’s 18 video games.
Mathews will bid adieu to the format after the opening Check of the fourth World Check Championship cycle between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Galle. He’s the most recent man to voice for extra Check cricket for different groups outdoors the large three.
“I believe it is fairly unhappy, to be trustworthy,” Mathews mentioned. “I imply, the youthful era are urging for extra Check cricket. Check cricket is clearly the head of cricket. All of us ought to push for extra Exams. These guys are so smitten by Check cricket.
“I really feel there needs to be a minimal of 10 matches at the least [in a year]. Groups like England, India or Australia are taking part in 15-plus video games a yr. Why cannot we play? We will. If we maintain pushing, I imply, we’ve to. We now have gained World Cups. We now have achieved a lot for cricket as a nation, and we should play Check cricket, similar to Australia, India and England.”
Earlier than Mathews, Sri Lanka Check captain Dhananjaya de Silva had additionally voiced the identical earlier within the yr. “It’s disappointing, as a great Check cricketing nation, to have solely 4 Exams. Actually, it’s a large drawback, particularly contemplating ours is an efficient facet, as nicely,” de Silva was quoted as saying earlier within the yr.
Coming again to Mathews, the previous Sri Lanka skipper mentioned that his deliberate final Check at Galle can also be as a result of lack of Exams for the Lankan Lions. “I performed my one centesimal Check in Galle, so I believed I would say goodbye in Galle. However the principle purpose was as a result of we haven’t any video games arising, at the least for now. After this, we’ll be having our subsequent project in Check cricket after a yr’s time, that could be a very lengthy wait,” defined Mathews.
“I believed it is good to offer a possibility to whoever goes to exchange me within the second Check, as a result of he isn’t going to get a possibility until the subsequent yr (laughs). And in that yr, you do not know what what is going on to occur. So I believed I’d simply play one recreation after which try to give a possibility to the opposite man who’s changing me within the second Check.”