5 reasons why Angelo Mathews should bat in the top order
Sri Lanka’s massive defeat against India in the first Test highlighted their batting woes. The hosts were bundled out for paltry scores of 291 and 245 in their first and second innings respectively as they failed to survive for more than 90 overs on both occasions and this was a major reason for their horrific show at Galle.
The only way Sri Lanka can stage a comeback in next Test is by improving their batting performances. And for that to happen their batsmen have to claim responsibility.
At the moment the top order looks anything but confident and hence the onus of bringing solidarity in the batting line-up rests on the shoulders of their most experienced campaigner, Angelo Mathews. The veteran currently bats in the lower order which is hampering his performances.
Mathews must be slotted in the top order so that he is able to spend more time at the crease. And we have a case to make for him as well. Here we discuss the reasons why batting in the top order is the need of the hour for Mathews.
#5 Lack of options in the top order
Sri Lanka's failure to fill the void created by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene's retirement has cost them several Tests. When the duo of Sangakkara and Jayawardene were batting in the top order, it was easy for Mathews to come in the middle order and inflict further damage but that doesn't stand true any longer.
Since the departure of these two stalwarts, Sri Lanka's top order has become extremely weak. Sri Lanka has tried several options but the lack of consistency of these young players means the team is running out of options now.
Meanwhile, in the middle order, except for Dinesh Chandimal and Kushal Mendis, no other Sri Lankan batsman has played more than 10 Tests since August 2014.
Players like Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva have shown promise but they haven't batted responsibly. Hence, the best bait at the moment for Sri Lanka to make their top order strong is to use services of Mathews.