Sri Lanka aims to win Test farewell for Angelo Mathews - a cricketing era ends

Sri Lanka is set to bid farewell to Angelo Mathews in the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle on June 17, marking the end of a significant cricketing era.

Mathews, who became Sri Lanka's youngest Test captain in 2013, will retire as the third-highest run-scorer for the nation in Test cricket. His career highlights include aggregating 1314 runs in 2014, the second-most for Sri Lanka in a calendar year after Kumar Sangakkara's 1493, and being one of only four batters in Test history to score over 2000 runs from three different batting positions.

During his captaincy, Mathews improved his batting statistics, scoring 2802 runs at an average of 50.94 with six centuries. Reflecting on his career, he acknowledged the challenges of workload management but expressed satisfaction with his achievements.

Looking ahead, Mathews aims to conclude his white-ball career at the 2025 T20 World Cup, contingent on his fitness. "I hope to retire from white-ball cricket at that World Cup. If we can win another World Cup, I'll try to contribute toward that," he said.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva emphasized the team's desire to honor Mathews with a memorable send-off, stating, "We want to win the match for Angelo and give him a good farewell."

Mathews' retirement marks the close of a distinguished chapter in Sri Lankan cricket, celebrated for his leadership, versatility, and resilience on the field.

Sri Lanka prepares to honor Angelo Mathews in his final Test match against Bangladesh starting June 17 in Galle. Mathews, the third-highest Sri Lankan Test run-scorer and former captain, aims to retire from Tests while targeting the 2025 T20 World Cup for his white-ball swansong.