Angelo Mathews, who is set to retire from Test cricket, has called for more Test matches for Sri Lanka, saying that the nation deserves to play the longest format just like India, Australia and England.
Sri Lanka will play only four Test matches in 2025, their fewest since 2013, excluding the Covid-impacted 2020. Sri Lanka will play only 12 Tests in the new cycle with six two-match series lined up. Australia will play the maximum - 22, followed by England's 21 and India's 18 games.
Mathews will bid adieu to the format after the opening Test of the fourth World Test Championship cycle between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Galle. He is the latest man to voice for more Test cricket for other teams outside the big three.
"I think it's quite sad, to be honest," Mathews said. "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.
"I feel there has to be a minimum of 10 matches at least [in a year]. Teams like England, India or Australia are playing 15-plus games a year. Why can't we play? We can. If we keep pushing, I mean, we have to. We have won World Cups. We have done so much for cricket as a nation, and we deserve to play Test cricket, just like Australia, India and England."
Before Mathews, Sri Lanka Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva had also voiced the same earlier in the year. "It is disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests. Honestly, it is a big disadvantage, especially considering ours is a good side, as well," de Silva was quoted as saying earlier in the year.
Coming back to Mathews, the former Sri Lanka skipper said that his planned last Test at Galle is also due to the lack of Tests for the Lankan Lions. "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," explained Mathews.
"I thought it's good to give an opportunity to whoever is going to replace me in the second Test, because he's not going to get an opportunity till the next year (laughs). And in that year, you don't know what what's going to happen. So I thought I'd just play one game and then try and give an opportunity to the other guy who's replacing me in the second Test."