Picture Credit: X
Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews recently slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the poor scheduling of their cricketing calendar. The veteran cricketer expressed concerns over the diminishing opportunities in the longest format of the game, while going all out to take immediate action to address the inequalities in scheduling of international Test cricket.
This move from Angelo Mathews comes seeing the reduced Test commitments for Sri Lanka, who will play only four Tests in the year, including two against Australia and two more against Bangladesh. Moreover, they will feature in six Tests in 2026.
Absolutely shocking: Angelo Mathews on Sri Lanka’s Test cricket calendar for 2025
Taking to X (formerly called Twitter), Mathews wrote, "Absolutely shocking to hear that Srilanka is only playing 4 test matches this entire year, including the aus tests this month . @ICC.” This wasn’t just from the 37-year-old as he further expressed his frustration in a Sri Lankan newspaper, questioning the favouritism towards shorter format over Test cricket.
“It’s very disappointing not to get that many Tests,” Mathews remarked. “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,” he further added. However, Mathews isn’t the only one to open on the diminishing Test cricket as former Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne also voiced his opinion.
“I haven’t given up hopes of getting there (10,000 runs), but it all depends on my form and fitness. This lack of Test matches isn’t helping me,” Karunaratne said, as quoted in India Today. Speaking of Sri Lanka’s Test schedule, in 2025, they will begin their calendar with a two-match Test series against Australia, starting from January 29. Their next assignment will come five months later, when Bangladesh tours Sri Lanka for a multi-format series, which includes two Tests.
However, in 2026, Sri Lanka will play just six Tests, two each against West Indies, India and Pakistan.
