By S. Obeyesekere
All-rounder, Angelo Mathews departure from test cricket on his own chosen terms from Galle in Sri Lanka’s drawn first test against Bangladesh in June last week, 16 years since he made his debut in in 2009 on a victorious note of a 50-run triumph versus Pakistan on scores of 42 and 27 slotted at No.7 with a wicket each, that lacked the fanfare of exiting on a high, does ring in an interest that it is well not really the end of the road for the 100test match strong third highest run getter in the long format after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayewardene for the big man.
That the 36-year old former Sri Lanka test and white ball captain with a singular historic landmark of being the first Sri Lankan captain to lead Sri Lanka of a test series triumph in the English backyard itself, signed off the format that he made no bones about it being ‘the’ most sacred of all formats, has parted ways, but leaving a literal flower to bud. A wish that he could represent Sri Lanka in the next T20 World Cup.
Indeed, it is a running cricket dream of a great who has bid goodbye to one, but whose passion for the game remains to go out from a big showpiece in a searching conjecture whether that wish would flower. Whether it would flower in the highly competitive lane for places with so many young bucks raising their hands to be counted does leave a big question for the national selectors to ponder on.
Given that scenario, of course, Mathews by all means faces his last big challenge of performing and literally forcing his way in by some out of the world displays to realise his last one big dream.