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Former Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, who will be playing his final Test match this week, has raised concerns over the lack of Test cricket played outside India, England, and Australia. Mathews, set to retire from Test cricket following the upcoming match against Bangladesh starting Tuesday, believes that the national team should get more chances to compete in what he describes as the “pinnacle” of the sport. With only four Test matches lined up for Sri Lanka in 2025 - their lowest in over ten years - Mathews feels this lack of fixtures is not only unfair to his country but also detrimental to the global profile of Test cricket.
In the previous Test cricket cycle, national teams from each country- Australia, India, and England played 19 WTC Tests for two-years. In the coming cycle, the Australian team is scheduled to play 22 Test matches, England 21, and India 18. In contrast, Sri Lanka is set to play even fewer Tests than in the previous cycle - just 12 matches spread across six two-Test series - tying with Bangladesh for the lowest number of fixtures.
Commenting on the situation, Mathews said, "I think it's quite sad to be honest. I mean, the younger generation are urging for more Test cricket. Test cricket is obviously the pinnacle of cricket. We all should push for more Tests. These guys are so enthusiastic about Test cricket."
Young players are hungry for red-ball cricket: Angelo Mathews
Mathews expressed sadness over the fact that a generation of young players eager to play Test cricket is being denied the chance. He stressed that Test cricket remains the sport’s most prestigious format and urged cricket boards worldwide to come together to safeguard its future.
"If the bigger teams can play that many matches, so can we. We’ve won global tournaments and have always been competitive. It’s time we push for equal opportunities," he remarked.
Regarding his last Test game in Galle, Angelo Mathews pointed out, "I played my 100th Test in Galle, so I thought I'd say goodbye in Galle. But the main reason was because we don't have any games coming up, at least for now. After this, we'll be having our next assignment in Test cricket after a year's time, that is a very long wait."
