Test farewell in sight, Mathews wants to sign off with T20 World Cup

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews has announced his retirement from Test cricket following the first match against Bangladesh in Galle. However, he has set his sights on a final appearance at the 2026 T20 World Cup, contingent on his fitness.

Angelo Mathews poised to retire from Test cricket after the Bangladesh match. © AFP

Galle is preparing to honor Mathews, whose Test career began at the same venue in 2009 against Pakistan.

"It's a coincidence. I had my debut in Galle. I played my 100th Test in Galle. And I'm going to say goodbye in Galle," Mathews told reporters. He explained the timing of his retirement, "The main reason is that we don't have many games coming up. After this, our next Test assignment is a year away. That's a very long time."

Mathews emphasized his desire to provide opportunities for younger players. "I thought it's best to give an opportunity to the one replacing me in the second Test match because he's not going to get another chance till next year. And in a year, you never know what could happen. So I thought I'll play one game and then step aside to let the other guy have his opportunity."

Furthermore, Mathews has communicated with selectors about his availability for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

"There are six more months until the next T20 World Cup, and I'll give it a try depending on what my body tells me," he stated. "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. So I'll do everything I can to improve my fitness and skills over the next six months."

Looking back on his career, Mathews expressed satisfaction while acknowledging the physical toll of his earlier years.

"I'm quite happy," he said. "I couldn't bowl much since 2016 because, from 2008 to 2015, I was playing in all formats as an all-rounder. That eventually took a toll on my body because I didn't care much about workload management. I was captain at the time and wanted to contribute in every single game. Bat, ball, and field. But I didn't manage my body well."

"Obviously, it took a huge toll on me. But I have no regrets because I tried to give my best to my country and my team."

Mathews is optimistic about the future of Sri Lankan cricket, citing improved communication as a key factor.

"The future looks bright," he said. "Since Sanath (Jayasuriya) took over, and Upul Tharanga and his team came in, the communication has been excellent. Whether it's seniors, juniors, or anyone else, they always communicated with us. That matters."

"Communication is key to having a good environment and performance will follow. We've seen that. We've done extremely well in Test matches. We even had a chance to be in the WTC final. And in ODIs and T20s, we've done very well in the last two years."

"So the communication was clear. The environment was good. That's why performance kept getting better," he added. "They're doing a great job. There's a lot of talent and many players coming through the ranks. The future looks bright."

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva expressed the team's determination to give Mathews a memorable send-off.

"We want to win the match for Angelo and give him a good farewell," Dhananjaya said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't do that for Dimuth (Karunaratne). Personally, I'm hoping we can do it for Angelo."

"He's a big player for us, especially with all his experience. But we do have other players. Some promising youngsters and back-ups are coming through."