Angelo Mathews reacts in a match vs Bangladesh (Courtesy: ICC/Twitter)
Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews came down hard at Sri Lanka Cricket board”s previous panel, headed by Pramoda Wickramasinghe, for agenda-driven decision-making that kept him out of the white ball since March 2021. During this course, Mathews also faced T20 World Cup snub in 2022 and 2023 despite being in form.
“In the last two Lanka Premier League (LPL) seasons I batted and bowled well, but unfortunately I wasn”t selected for the T20 World Cups, and I wasn”t given reasons for that. If you take decisions that are driven by agendas, these kinds of things can happen – we haven”t even qualified for the Champions Trophy,” Mathews said after winning the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 46-run knock vs Zimbabwe in the 1st T20.
In 2023, Mathews was called into the Sri Lanka World Cup squad as a replacement for fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. His career was constantly plagued by injuries which kept his span limited in international cricket. However, the all-rounder revealed that he kept on pushing hard during the absence to elongate his career.
“But one thing I believe is that if you train and play wholeheartedly, you can create an environment for yourself where you can perform. I kept my efforts up over the last couple of years. I think I can play for a little while longer,” Mathews said.
Mathews has, however, kept his interactions clear with the new selection panel headed by Upul Tharanga. He is also in plans to be selected in the Sri Lanka squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“The communication with me and the new selectors is quite clear. They asked me what my plans were for the future and (told me) their plans as well. We had a very good discussion. They said that I”m in their plans for the T20 World Cup, and if I could bowl a few overs. I said: “Absolutely – if I can help the team in any way”.
“I”ve been bowling in the LPL as well, and you saw me bowling in the [domestic] one-dayers as well recently. If I can bowl a few overs that helps the balance of the team and the captain can decide whether he wants to play an extra batter or a bowler,” he added.
