3 Angelo Mathews controversies in recent years that made headlines
In his first T20I match in nearly three years, Angelo Mathews played a match-winning knock of 46 runs off 38 balls to help Sri Lanka chase down the total in the first T20I on Sunday. Dasun Shanaka remained unbeaten on 26 runs off 18 balls, making crucial boundary contributions.
Sri Lanka chased down 144 runs in the final ball of the match to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The final moments of the run chase featured a top-edged four from No. 9 Dushmantha Chameera's bat and a well-placed chip into the legside outfield – ending a chase where Zimbabwe kept gnawing away at the hosts.
However, all the headlines were reserved for Angelo Mathews’ statements directed at the previous selection panel. Mathews accused the last panel of having 'agendas' in their decision-making process, which resulted in his exclusion from the white-ball setup since March 2021.
On that note, we take a look at 3 Angelo Mathews controversies in recent years that made headlines.
#3 Taking an uncompromising stance on ‘unruly players’
During Sri Lanka’s New Zealand tour in 2016, captain Angelo Mathews pledged "no mercy" for teammates implicated in misconduct allegations. The Sri Lankan sports minister had raised concerns about drunken behavior and internal disputes within the team during the disastrous tour.
Mathews confirmed the initiation of an official investigation into claims of players attending late-night parties until 3 or 4 am and tensions within the team, including with interim coach Jerome Jayaratne.
Addressing reporters at a post-tournament press conference in Colombo, Mathews stated:
"I cannot confirm or deny these occurrences. However, I assure you that there will be no leniency for any team member found guilty of misconduct."
#2 Angelo Mathews once claimed he was made a 'scapegoat' after losing captaincy
Angelo Mathews accused the country's cricket board of unfairly placing the blame solely on him for the team's embarrassing exit from the Asia Cup, back in 2018.
The 31-year-old all-rounder, who was removed as Sri Lanka's white-ball captain, expressed his discontent and even threatened retirement from white-ball cricket.
The decision to ask Mathews to step down came in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's poor performance in the Asia Cup didn't sit well with the all-rounder. They lost to lower-ranked Afghanistan and Bangladesh led to their elimination of the island nation from the competition.
“I have been made the scapegoat in this entire saga of Sri Lanka’s dismal performance against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup,” Mathews said in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket.
#1 The big ‘timed-out’ controversy
During the 2023 Cricket World Cup, Angelo Mathews entered record books by becoming the first player to be declared 'timed-out' in an international game during the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match in Delhi.
The incident occurred in the 25th over of the match, following the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama, when Mathews took to the crease. As he approached the 22-yard line, he encountered a setback when his helmet strap snapped while attempting to secure it before assuming his stance.
Although a replacement helmet was promptly provided, Bangladesh's captain Shakib al Hasan opted to appeal, asserting that the batter had exceeded the two-minute time limit.
Speaking after the match, Mathews said:
"Absolutely disgraceful. We all play to win but I never thought a team or player would stoop to such levels to get a wicket."