Angelo Mathews, one of the most unassuming to play 100 Test matches

Colin Cowdrey became the first cricketer to play 100 Test matches in 1968, nine years before the centenary of Test cricket. At the time, it was hard to imagine that a little more than half a century later, there would be 72 players who would reach this coveted landmark.

Indeed, Angelo Mathews is set to become the 72nd to appear in 100 Tests on July 24.

Only five other Sri Lankans have played 100 Tests, Mahela Jayawardene (149), Kumar Sangakkara (134), Muttiah Muralitharan (132), Chaminda Vaas (111), and Sanath Jayasuriya (110).

One is, then, almost taken by surprise that Angelo Mathews will join the ranks of these giants from his country. Surely, he would be one of the most unassuming to join this exclusive club.

Yet one look at Mathews’ record, 6,876 runs at an average of 45.23, 13 centuries and 38 fifties with a highest of an unbeaten 200, dispels all misgivings about his presence in this elite group. Why, the explosive Jayasuriya scored 6,973 runs at 40.07 with 14 hundreds!

Mathews made his Test debut 13 years ago in July 2009, incidentally against the same opponents Pakistan, at the same venue Galle, where he will play his 100th Test.

He became Sri Lanka’s youngest Test captain in February 2013 at 25 years. He celebrated this achievement with a brilliant 2014 when he aggregated 1,160 runs, averaging 77.33.

Having scored a fine century in the drawn first Test at Lord’s against England in that year, he hit up a brilliant 160 in the second and final Test at Headingley. It enabled Sri Lanka to win the Test by 100 runs and clinch their first series in England. This is not counting the one-off Test win in 1998.

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Luminaries, apart from Angelo Mathews, who played 100 Test matches and some of their feats

Sachin Tendulkar, of course, heads the list with 200 Test matches. Among those still playing, the English pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad have 172 and 156 Tests respectively to their credit.

Another Englishman, Joe Root, comes next with 121 Tests. The only other current players in this league are Nathan Lyon (110) and Virat Kohli (102).

Just nine players have hit centuries in their 100th Tests. Colin Cowdrey scored 104, followed by Javed Miandad (145) in 1989, Gordon Greenidge (149) in 1990, Alec Stewart (105) in 2000, and Inzamam-ul-Haq (184) in 2005.

Ricky Ponting became the first to hit a century in each innings of his 100th Test with 120 and 143 not out in 2006. Graeme Smith (131) achieved the feat in 2012, Hashim Amla (134) in 2017, and finally the man in form Joe Root (218) in 2021. This is also the highest score and only double century in a 100th Test.

One hopes that Angelo Mathews will turn his 100th Test at picturesque Galle into a memorable one. Pakistan won the first Test with a tremendous run chase in the fourth innings.

Reliable middle-order batsman, brilliant fielder, and occasional medium-pace bowler with 33 Test wickets, Angelo Mathews has been a man for all seasons for Sri Lanka, bridging two generations of cricketers from this island nation. Doubtlessly, there is much more to come from him.