The last few years haven’t been quite promising to the rich history of Sri Lankan cricket, as their performance at home in bilateral series and even in the ICC tournaments has been quite ordinary. Angelo Mathews, the former all-format captain of the side, has pointed to the turning point of their cricket.
They had a very tough time in the recent T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America, where they finished the group stage in the third position, with a single victory in four games, which came against the Netherlands.
Even in the ODI World Cup last year in India, Sri Lanka finished at the penultimate position of the event with just a couple of wins in nine group games against England and the Dutch side.
Angelo Mathews lauds Sanath Jayasuriya’s appointment as the turning point for Sri Lanka
The former Sri Lankan captain, Angelo Matthews, at the end of the second day against New Zealand of the second Test at the Galle International cricket stadium, was asked what he reckoned was the turning point of their cricket.
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The last few weeks have been incredible for the Asian side. They won the ODI series against India at home after 27 years, where the opponent side was full of their powerplay top-class players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and others.
Angelo Matthews was part of the Test match against England at the Kennington Oval in South London, that they won after ten years. They are now edging closer to a series victory over the Blackcaps after 15 years.
“I think Sanath Jayasuriya taking over was (the turning point for Sri Lanka). He gave confidence when he was the cricket director, and now he has become the coach. Even though he gets nervous, he has given that confidence to all of us, and that makes a massive difference.” The 37-year-old expressed in the press conference.
The veteran also feels that the presence of the former left-hander opening batter of the Sri Lankan side has made the environment calm in the dressing room, as he has been correctly interacting with the players.
“I mean, in a dressing room, you have to keep it calm, you should be able to communicate it with the players in a correct way and we have been given the freedom. We all are working towards one goal and everyone has been on the same page.” Angelo Mathews remarked during the presser.
The experienced all-rounder also praised the wonderful job of Jayasuriya before addressing the excellent grooming job, he has done for the young players in the side.
“I think Sanath has done a wonderful job in grooming young players, as well as, looking after each one of us. I think he has done a tremendous job, and I wish him all the very best for the future.” Angelo Mathews highlighted.
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Kamindu Mendis has been the talk of the town at the moment, with his incredible record in the longest format of the game. He has joined Don Bradman for the third fastest 1000 runs in Tests in 13 innings. He is also the only player to score eighth consecutive Test fifties in a row for eight games.
“Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records.” Angelo Mathews shaded light.
Sri Lanka posted a huge score of over 600 runs in the first innings and earned a lead of over 500 runs. They are a few steps away from a historic series win.
