angelo mathews

A robust batting technique, nagging consistency with the ball, and athleticism in the field, all set off by an imperturbable temperament, have made Angelo Mathews one of Sri Lanka’s most prized assets and a figure on which the team hangs many hopes. He has risen quickly since earning wide acclaim with an acrobatic save in the 2009 World Twenty20, and in February 2013, became Sri Lanka’s youngest ever Test captain at 25, after having been groomed for the post for two years.

In limited overs cricket, Mathews’ all-round skills are almost indispensable. When he pulled a quad in the World Cup semi-final in 2011, he forced three changes to the XI that played in the final, as the team strove for the balance he single-handedly delivers. He began his international career with ambitions of becoming a genuine allrounder, but has since given primacy to his batting, and effectively plays as a specialist batter in the Test side.

Often coming to the crease at No. 6, Mathews provides solidity to the lower-middle order, which had been a weakness for Sri Lanka prior to his arrival. In ODIs he has provided two unforgettable finishes – against Australia in 2010, and Pakistan in 2012 – stealing victory with a sublime, sustained assaults, but his best work has come in the Test format. In an outstanding 2014, in which he scored 1160 runs at an average of 77.33, Mathews’ finest moment was the rousing 160 at Headingley, which transformed that match and saw Sri Lanka win their first Test series in England (not including the one-off Test in 1998).

Mathews’ appointment to the captaincy has heralded a renewed focus on youth and development by the Sri Lanka selectors. Once a successful leader of the St. Joseph’s College side and the Sri Lanka Under-19 team, Mathews has been charged with ushering in a new age of Sri Lankan cricket.
Andrew Fidel Fernando