Angelo Mathews, Graeme Labrooy
Graeme Labrooy says Angelo Mathews has been dropped because of his poor running between the wickets. Image Courtesy: Getty

In a shocking development in Sri Lanka cricket, Angelo Mathews got dropped from the Sri Lanka squad for England ODIs slated from 5th October. Sri Lanka chief selector, Graeme Labrooy told ESPN Cricinfo that Angelo Mathews’s exclusion was built mostly on his poor running between the wickets and his propensity to run out his partners.

Mathews cannot run between the wickets

Meanwhile, head coach, Chandika Hathurusingh went a step further and detailed the number of times he felt that Mathews was involved in run out dismissals. Labrooy also stated Mathews tended not just to run out the opposite batsmen which are not good signs at all. Graeme Labrooy said Mathews’ running between the wickets were pretty sluggish.

Both Labrooy and Chandika Hathurusingha suggested the fact Mathews isn’t fit enough to field for 50 overs and then perform as a batsman. Meanwhile, Chandika Hathurusingha used the phrase team dynamics, as he described the shortcomings of Mathews.

As per quotes from the team management, it is learnt that even Mathews’ teammates have started seeing him as a liability when it comes to running between the wickets.

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews has been dropped from the ODI’s against England. (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Angelo Mathews has become a burden to Sri Lanka when it comes to running between the wickets 

“Running between the wickets is a very big concern for us at the moment – for the whole team, not only for [Mathews],” Hathurusingha said. “We want him to get fitter. His average since 2017 is 59 – I know that. And he scored 97 runs against South Africa three matches ago. But there are certain concerns. If you look at his record, he has been involved in about 64 run outs, and 49 times the opposite guy got run out. That’s a world record. Those are the things that we’ve been looking at. But I want him back as fresh as possible, and clear as possible, to serve the Sri Lankan team.”

Mathews had recently written a letter to the CEO of Sri Lanka cricket that he had been the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in the five-match ODI series against South Africa. However, Labrooy stated these performances were not meaningful, as it came in a series defeat. Labrooy also suggested he made other members of the team a bit uncomfortable.

“Unfortunately, we lost to South Africa – although [Mathews is] the highest scorer, we ended up on the losing side,” Labrooy said. “We would have expected someone who scored the highest runs to be on the winning team. With Angelo, we knew that he had a hamstring injury right throughout and he’s been nursing and treating it. We saw that he had slowed down in the game, and his cricket fitness was not up to the mark. He had the challenge of him taking quick singles and running twos. Also, he transferred pressure on to the rest of the batters.”

Sri Lanka, Angelo Mathews
Angelo Mathews had a problem with running between the wickets in the Asia Cup. Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“We weren’t convinced that Mathews was able to field for 50 overs and then come and bat for 30 overs, and do both those things well, based on his fitness,” Labrooy was quoted as saying ESPNcricinfo. “So we decided to ask him to step down and focus on his fitness, without the added pressure of captaincy.”

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