Angelo Mathews Underlining his Value in the Sri Lankan Team: 2022

Angelo Mathews is often a forgotten name in the current Sri Lankan side given their constant change in players and coaches. With a lot going on, it is often tough for people to remember that the line-up still has a player who has been around since the likes of Muralitharan, Jayawardene, and Sangakkara played, and is still going strong with a few years of cricket left in him.

He is the most capped player across the Sri Lankan and Bangladesh squad and with Sri Lanka in trouble, Angelo Mathews did well to put every ounce of his experience to use. He walked in with Sri Lanka two down and an inexperienced batting line-up around him. With an inexperienced batting line-up, collapses are almost inevitable, but Angelo Mathews hung around well. He built partnerships with the other experienced members in the side, putting on stands with Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, allowing both to bat around him and score well.

Angelo Mathews started his career as an explosive batter. He was a very good bowler as well, occasionally taking the new ball and was athletic in the field too, making him a complete all-round package for the Sri Lankan team. His fitness though started affecting him. He kept getting injured and his hamstrings where could not handle the burden of all three formats as Angelo Mathews was unable to keep himself fit regularly. Due to his leg issues, Angelo Mathews reduced his bowling workload, and with further contract-related controversies, Angelo Mathews has become a silent member in the Sri Lankan side.

See Also: Injured Ajinkya Rahane to Miss Remainder of IPL 2022 And England Tour – Cricket Winner

He is often not noticed in the line-up but is a very dangerous player. His years in the field though has been put to use as Angelo Mathews showed how to a player could show that he is on top in a Test match. He used his feet well to deflate the bowlers, and his confidence was enough to make the bowlers drop their shoulders as Angelo Mathews displayed supreme control throughout his innings.

He used the dimensions of the ground well, waited for bad balls, and found runs in particular regions which felt comfortable for him, rather than trying anything expansive. Batting through the heat, Angelo Mathews made a wonderful 100 on the first day, and followed it up on the second day ending his innings at 199. He was unfortunate to miss out on the double-hundred, but the lack of one-run cannot take away the brilliance of his innings.

With retirement rumours in the last year, the innings helped show that Angelo Mathews is still committed to winning games for Sri Lanka. He is one of their best players, and displayed a lot of potential early in his career. Had it not been for injuries, Angelo Mathews may well have been discussed as one of the best in the generation along with the likes of the Fab four.

From struggling to make his first Test hundred in the first few years of his career, Mathews has come a long way for his ten centuries. He is still one of the more high-profile players in the Sri Lankan line-up, and his innings shows the value he brings and the fear he can instill in opponents on his day.