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Angelo Mathews Bids Farewell to Test Cricket, Ends Illustrious Career
Angelo Mathews Bids Farewell to Test Cricket, Ends Illustrious Career
Former Sri Lanka captain and all-rounder Angelo Mathews announces Test retirement after the conclusion of the first match against Bangladesh in Galle next month.
Angelo Mathews has announced that he will retire from Test cricket after playing his final match against Bangladesh in Galle on June 17. He will still be available for selection in ODI and T20 formats if needed.
Mathews has played 119 Test matches since his debut in 2009 and has been a key player for Sri Lanka. However, with fewer Test matches scheduled for Sri Lanka, he would have had to wait until May 2026 to play again.
Reflecting on his career, Mathews said that representing Sri Lanka for 17 years has been his greatest honor. He expressed gratitude for everything cricket has given him and confirmed that he will continue playing white-ball cricket if selected.
Mathews captained Sri Lanka in 34 Tests, including a famous win at Headingley in 2014, where his second-innings score of 160 helped secure victory. He is Sri Lanka’s third-highest Test run-scorer with 8,167 runs, behind Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. He has scored 16 centuries and has a batting average of 44.62. Though he bowled occasionally, he took 33 wickets in Tests.
His best batting phase was between 2013 and 2015, when he scored 2,378 runs at an average of 59.45, mostly batting at No. 5 or No. 6. In recent years, he continued to contribute, scoring 2,141 runs across 2022 and 2023 at an average of 51.15, while batting at No. 4. His last Test century was against Afghanistan in February 2024.
Mathews faced challenges in his career, including disagreements with coach Chandika Hathurusinghe in 2017-2018. In recent years, he has focused more on fitness after struggling with leg injuries earlier in his career.