Disappointed Angelo Mathews opens up about quitting captaincy

What's the news?

Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews stepped down from the captaincy after his team's humiliating defeat in the recently concluded ODI series against Zimbabwe. The all-rounder had earlier quipped that he was not sure whether he would be the man to lead the Islander in the 2019 World Cup. However, his recent announcement about quitting the role of the skipper across all the three formats did come as a shock to many.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Mathews explained why it was important for him to take this step.

Mathews looked back at his time as the captain and said that he received an immense amount of support during his term but he still thinks that it will be a better option to quit the captain's role.

“I had got great support no doubt. But I think the time is right to go. Let some fresh thinking come in. I wanted to step down a year ago as well. But at that point, there was no one to take over,” said Mathews. “Now I feel there are candidates who can take over. Now I feel that there are candidates who can take over the captaincy and who are ready for the job. No point in hanging around the job. Not my style anyway.”

In case you didn't know...

Mathews was named the captain of Sri Lanka in 2013. Since then he has led his team in 34 Tests, 98 ODIs and 12 T20 Internationals. Under him, the Sri Lankan team performed fairly in the limited overs format. However, they managed to clinch historical victories over England and Australia in Test series. Apart from these, Sri Lanka did not witness any other significant mark.

Last year, his multiple injuries prevented him from playing for his team in important matches. There were questions about his chances of continuing as the captain even then. At that time, Mathews did not see anyone who could lead the Sri Lankan side and he kept the captaincy.

This year, he was again named by Sri Lanka Cricket to lead his side to the 2019 ICC World Cup. However, he didn't wish to continue with the job as now there are others who can take up the job.

The heart of the matter

Sri Lankan Cricket has left much to be to be desired with their recent performances in the limited-overs format. They were eliminated in the group stage from the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and that was followed by yet another blow when Zimbabwe registered a 3-2 ODI series victory over the Lankans in the latter's own backyard.

Considering all of this, Matthews is now positive about his decision. He stated that his fours years as the captain was an incredible experience for him. On one hand, he was thankful that he was given the chance to lead his side for this long. On the other, he was also disappointed with the loss that his side faced.

He credited Zimbabwe for the brilliant performance they delivered. However, he accepted that it was indeed painful for him to see his team in a state of despair. He apologised to the supporters for the poor performance of the team and is now hopeful that a new captain will bring the much-required change to the team and will lead them to the victories.

What's next?

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has named Dinesh Chandimal as the Test captain and Upal Tharanga as the skipper for the ODIs and T20Is. They will take over the skipper's role following Mathews' decision to discontinue as their captain

Author's take

Angelo Mathews was a good leader for his team despite being handed the captaincy at a very young age. Under him, his team managed to whitewash the Invincibles and the Englishmen. No wonder he was expected to lead his side to the 2019 World Cup. However, Mathews’ decision to not continue as the captain is justified with the team's recent state. It will bring good for the team. His successor must be aware of the factors that went wrong and can directly start with working on them.

Moreover, it will give him enough time to understand his team and gel along with them as their captain ahead of the World Cup. Mathews gave up the skipper's role just in time for someone else to grab it and emerge as the leader. He might be the next miracle which the Sri Lankan team needs.