I sometimes feel that Angelo Mathews does not get enough credit for his manifold achievements. As a batsman, bowler, captain and now senior statesman he has served Sri Lanka heroically for over a decade. Unfortunately, his best years have coincided with a slump in Sri Lanka’s fortunes and that is perhaps the chief reason why his gallant exploits have gone under the radar.
Not very long ago after he made his Test debut Sri Lanka in quick succession lost the services of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan. It is not easy for a team when great players retire in quick succession and Sri Lanka felt the heat. From being one of the leading sides in all formats they slipped down in the rankings. The bowling chiefly because of the tireless Rangana Herath continued to be a force to reckon with but the weakness in the batting was repeatedly exposed.
It was Mathews who gave it the much-needed stability in the middle order. Equally adept at attack or defence he played the rescue act time and again. But given the team’s fragility more often than not he was cast in the sheet anchor role concentrating on defence. With his concentration, dedication and determination he had the penchant to play long innings and many of his three-figure knocks lasted six to seven hours. In the just-concluded Test against Zimbabwe in running up his maiden double hundred he batted ten hours.
Mathews is well aware of his responsibilities. As the Sri Lankan captain across all formats for long, he enjoyed mixed results but these days free from the pressures of captaincy he is enjoying his role chiefly as a batsman with his days as a bowler virtually over because of a spate of injuries. These saw him miss quite a few games but he is back now playing an inspirational role to a whole new set of youngsters. At 32 Mathews still has a lot to offer Sri Lankan cricket and remains a pivotal figure in the transitional phase.
Mathews has run up impressive figures in all formats of the game but despite his batting and bowling feats in limited-overs cricket it is his stats in the traditional format that will stand the test of time. After 85 Tests he is approaching the 6000-run mark with ten hundreds and as many as 34 half-centuries. His batting style might not empty bars for with his serious, poker face approach he plays each ball on his merit. But it is invaluable to the Sri Lankan side for which he is the man for the crisis, ever reliable and dependable. For his enduring utility qualities, Mathews takes his place among the Sri Lankan greats.
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