Sri Lankan star Angelo Mathews has declared he will no longer play Test cricket. Mathews will make his final Test appearance in white for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh at Galle in June. “It is the right moment for younger players to step up and I will keep myself available for the team in white-ball cricket,” Mathews declared in an emotional message. Mathews, who played for Sri Lanka in 118 Tests, managed 8,167 runs at an average of 44.62, with 16 centuries and 45 fifty-plus scores.
— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) May 23, 2025
Last Test To Be In June
Mathews mentioned that the first test match against Bangladesh in June will be his last red-ball appearance for his country. Whilst he bids adieu to the test format, he will remain available for selection for the white ball format. He bowled again, taking 33 wickets in his leadership role in 34 matches. Whenever Mathews led Sri Lanka in Tests, the team won 13 matches, the next most for the country after Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene (18 wins each).
Sri Lanka’s Struggle In Test
The arrival of Australia and South Africa for WTC 2023-25 meant Sri Lanka ended the cycle with no wins, and they will want to begin the new cycle strongly for the sake of Angelo Mathews’ final matches. After Dimuth Karunaratne, who retired at the end of his 100th Test vs Australia in February, this is Sri Lanka’s second major red-ball goodbye this year.
