Angelo Mathews criticized Sri Lanka’s 2025 cricket schedule, which features only four Test matches. Among these, two matches will be played against Australia before mid-February, focusing instead on ODIs and T20Is. As the team struggles with low Test opportunities, discussions about a two-tier Test system arise, highlighting concerns for the future of the format.
Angelo Mathews, the veteran all-rounder for Sri Lanka, has expressed his profound disappointment regarding the nation’s cricket schedule for the year 2025, highlighting the minimal number of Test matches allocated. Last appearing for the national team during their tour in South Africa in December, Mathews observed that Sri Lanka is due to participate in only four Tests throughout the entire year. Notably, two of these matches will occur before mid-February against Australia at home.
In addition to the limited Test commitments, Sri Lanka is set to engage in 13 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 12 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) ahead of their break in January 2026. The Future Tours Program indicates that their Test match participation will conclude by June 2025 when they host two Tests against Bangladesh as part of the new 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Concerningly, Sri Lanka will play the fewest Tests in next cycle, with only eight more scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
In a poignant statement, Mathews tagged the International Cricket Council in his post on social media, remarking, “Absolutely shocking to hear that Sri Lanka is only playing 4 test matches this entire year including the Aus Tests this month.” At 37 years old, Mathews has recently solidified his position, being one of the few Sri Lankan batters to accumulate over 8,000 Test runs.
Currently, Sri Lanka ranks fifth in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) edition, having completed 11 out of 13 scheduled Tests, with five victories. Comparatively, only Bangladesh and South Africa have played fewer Tests within this cycle. Mathews’ concerns have surfaced amid discussions among cricket’s major nations and the ICC regarding the potential implementation of a two-tier Test system following the conclusion of the next WTC cycle.
The structure of international cricket has been shaped recently by a series of decisions made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its member nations regarding the future of Test cricket formats. The emphasis has increasingly shifted towards limited-overs format, leading to concerns among players and stakeholders about the diminishing importance of Test matches. Angelo Mathews, a seasoned cricketer with significant contributions to Sri Lanka’s performance in the longest format, now raises alarms about the scheduling that significantly limits Test opportunities for his country, projecting broader implications for the sport’s heritage and competitive landscape.
In summary, Angelo Mathews has conveyed his dismay over Sri Lanka’s cricket calendar for 2025, which allocates only four Test matches for the national team. As Sri Lanka prepares to focus more on ODIs and T20Is, the implications of decreased Test match opportunities are becoming increasingly evident. This situation has garnered attention in light of ongoing discussions to reform the structure of Test cricket, indicating a potential shift in the focus and prioritization of different formats of the game.
Original Source: www.dailymirror.lk
