Galle, June 16 Angelo Matthews has raised concerns regarding the number of Test matches Sri Lanka will be playing in the upcoming World Test Championship cycle.
Sri Lanka will be playing six two-game series across the 2025-27 cycle, the joint lowest alongside Bangladesh. Matthews pointed out how Australia, England and India will be playing 22, 21, and 18 Tests respectively. Sri Lanka’s four Tests in 2025 are their lowest tally in a calendar year, barring 2020 due to Covid-19, since 2013.
"I think it's quite sad, to be honest. I mean, the younger generation is urging for more Test cricket. Test cricket is obviously the pinnacle of cricket. We all should push for more Tests. These guys are so enthusiastic about Test cricket.
"I feel there has to be a minimum of 10 matches at least [in a year]. Teams like England, India, or Australia are playing 15-plus games a year. Why can't we play? We can. If we keep pushing, I mean, we have to. We have won World Cups. We have done so much for cricket as a nation, and we deserve to play Test cricket, just like Australia, India, and England,” Matthews was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.
Last month, Mathews announced that he would retire from Tests upon the conclusion of the first match against Bangladesh in Galle. The 37-year-old, who made his Test debut at the same venue against Pakistan in 2009, has been a cornerstone of Sri Lankan cricket for more than 15 years, excelling as both an all-rounder and a leader.
With 8,167 runs in 118 matches, he is only behind Kumar Sangakkara (12,400) and Mahela Jayawardena (11,814) for the most Test runs by a Sri Lankan. He also proved handy with the ball with 33 wickets to his name. He also has the second-most runs at Galle, with 2206 runs across 33 Test matches at the venue.
Mathews will have a chance to add to those runs and wickets in his 119th and final match in whites against Bangladesh, starting on Tuesday. He is also Sri Lanka’s third most successful Test captain, having led the side to 13 wins in 34 matches between 2013 and 2017.
"I played my 100th Test in Galle, so I thought I'd say goodbye in Galle. But the main reason was that we don't have any games coming up, at least for now. After this, we'll be having our next assignment in Test cricket after a year's time, that is a very long wait," explained Mathews.
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