"Decisions Driven By Agendas": Angelo Mathews Slams Ex-Selectors For His White-Ball Omission

Following a triumphant return to T20Is, Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews took a potshot at the previous set of selectors, headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe, for taking "agenda-driven" decisions that pushed him out of the white-ball cricket set-up. An all-round performance by a returning Angelo Mathews helped Sri Lanka snatch a three-wicket win from the jaws of defeat against Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the three-match series in Colombo on Sunday night. He not only scored an unbeaten 46* to guide Lanka out of troubled waters during their 144-run chase, lifting them from 83/6, but also took the new ball and gave away 13 runs in two overs.

After playing as a red-ball specialist since 2021, Mathews made his return to ODIs just last year ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup and this year in T20Is ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies/USA scheduled from June 1 onwards.

Fans can expect to see Matthews play more frequently in T20I cricket and bowl as well. Mathews, while attacking the old selectors, also said that he is in T20I plans of a newly set-up selection panel, headed by the former batter and teammate Upul Tharanga.

"In the last two Lanka Premier League (LPL) seasons, I batted and bowled well, but unfortunately, I wasn't selected for the T20 World Cups, and I was not given reasons for that. If you take decisions that are driven by agendas, these kinds of things can happen--we have not even qualified for the Champions Trophy," said Mathews, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"But one thing I believe is that if you train and play wholeheartedly, you can create an environment for yourself where you can perform. I kept my efforts up over the last couple of years. I think I can play for a little while longer," he