Angelo Mathews has expressed his disappointment with Sri Lanka’s 2025 cricket schedule, revealing that the team will play only four Test matches that year. This includes two matches against Australia before February and a limited overall schedule, marking them as one of the teams with the fewest Tests in the next two years. Mathews is concerned about the impact on Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in this crucial format of the game.
Angelo Mathews, the experienced all-rounder for Sri Lanka, has voiced his dismay regarding the team’s upcoming cricket schedule for 2025, which features an insufficient number of Test matches. He expressed that he was “absolutely shocked” to learn that Sri Lanka will only engage in four Test matches throughout the year, with two of them occurring at home against Australia prior to mid-February. Furthermore, the Future Tours Program outlines that Sri Lanka is set to participate in 13 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 12 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) by November 2025, but their Test engagements will conclude by June when they host Bangladesh as part of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.
With this recent schedule, Sri Lanka finds itself playing the least number of Tests in the upcoming cycle, with only eight additional matches allocated in 2026 and 2027. Mathews, who last played in an ODI during the 2023 World Cup, emphasized the limitations imposed on his Test appearances. As a significant milestone, he has recently surpassed 8000 Test runs, becoming only the third Sri Lankan to achieve this feat. In the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Sri Lanka has been assigned 13 Tests, having completed 11 with five victories, ranking fifth in the overall standings. Reports have also surfaced suggesting that discussions are ongoing about a potential two-tier Test system by cricketing authorities after the next WTC cycle concludes.
The context surrounding Angelo Mathews’ comments relates to the 2025 cricket schedule for Sri Lanka, which has raised concerns about the limited number of Test matches allocated to the national team. Test cricket, regarded as the pinnacle format of the game, is essential for maintaining the integrity and competitiveness of a cricketing nation. Sri Lanka’s scheduled participation in only four Test matches, along with significantly more limited Test opportunities in the subsequent years, raises questions about their competitive edge on the international stage, particularly as they rank among the teams with the fewest Test matches.
In conclusion, Angelo Mathews has articulated significant concern regarding the Sri Lankan cricket schedule for 2025, particularly the minimal number of Test matches planned. With the emphasis placed on shorter formats of the game, the implications for the team’s development and performance in Test cricket remain to be seen. Mathews’ comments highlight the broader dialogue within cricket regarding the importance of maintaining a robust Test framework, particularly in light of potential structural changes proposed by cricket’s leading bodies.
Original Source: www.dailymirror.lk
