Sri Lanka's star all-rounder Angelo Mathews has slammed International Cricket Council (ICC) for the limited Test scheduling of his team. He has called upon the ICC to swiftly address the imbalances in international scheduling. Sri Lanka will be playing limited Test matches, with only four scheduled for 2025 and a mere six planned for 2026.
Angelo Mathews questions ICC for limited Test scheduling of Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews expressed his dismay on Monday over the limited number of Test matches scheduled for Sri Lanka this year. Having last played for the national team during their tour of South Africa in December, he was surprised to learn that only four Tests are planned for 2025. Notably, two of these Tests will be completed before mid-February against Australia at home.
Beyond the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup T20 tournaments, Sri Lanka's calendar is heavily dominated by limited-overs cricket. They are scheduled to play 13 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 12 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) by November 2025. This packed schedule will then see a brief hiatus before resuming in January 2026.
"Absolutely shocking to hear that Srilanka is only playing 4 test matches this entire year, including the aus tests this month . @ICC," Mathews wrote on his X handle.
Angelo Mathews, currently limited to Test appearances after last representing Sri Lanka in ODIs at the 2023 World Cup and T20Is at the 2024 T20 World Cup, recently achieved a significant milestone by becoming the fourth Sri Lankan batter to surpass 8,000 Test runs.
Sri Lanka has been scheduled to play 13 Tests in the ongoing 2023-25 edition of the World Test Championship. However, they have played only 11 matches thus far, winning five and currently occupying fifth place in the standings. Notably, only Bangladesh and South Africa have played fewer Tests than Sri Lanka in this cycle, while England, Australia, and India have played significantly more.
Mathews' concerns about the diminishing opportunities for Test cricket come amidst reports suggesting that the "Big Three" cricketing nations (India, Australia, and England) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are considering a two-tier Test system after the conclusion of the next World Test Championship cycle.
Mathews, in a Sri Lankan newspaper lamented the growing emphasis on shorter formats, particularly those with big commercial appeal, which he believes is overshadowing the importance of Test cricket.
“It’s very disappointing not to get that many Tests. It’s really disheartening to wait a year between Tests. Cricket is about rhythm, and such long breaks disrupt everything, affecting players’ careers. I hope ICC and SLC will look into this and work out a much fairer scheduling,” Mathews said.
The 37-year-old is approaching the end of his illustrious cricketing career. The current dearth of Test matches, however, has diminished his hopes of joining the exclusive 10,000-run club. With a commendable record of 8,042 runs in 116 Test matches, he still requires 1,958 more runs to achieve this big milestone.