Profile
Angelo Matthews is quickly becoming the go to man in the Sri Lankan team. Similar to Australia’s Shane Watson, Matthews has blossomed into a batting all-rounder with tremendous potential. Unfortunately, just like Watson, he has been injury prone, which has seen his bowling workload diminish over the years.
He will certainly be one to watch over the Australian summer, with the talented Sri Lankan having already enjoyed plenty of success against the number two ranked nation. In 2010, Matthews shared a record 9th wicket stand with Lasith Malinga to steal an improbable win against the Aussies. The 132 partnership came off just 110 balls, with Matthews’ unbeaten 77* sealing the win.
It is still early days for Matthews in the Test arena, with the ever-improving all-rounder having only played 28 matches. The big hitting batsman has already scored 1493 runs and has hit an impressive 14 sixes in his short career. His only century came against the Australians in 2011. It was an impressive 105* given the sweltering conditions in Colombo.
His most recent Test series against New Zealand was a good one, with Matthews producing scores of 79, 47 and 84 in the drawn tournament.
Matthews has made a name for himself in the shorter forms of the game, where his big bash bravado has served him very well. His aggression has helped Sri Lanka qualify for the final of the ODI World Cup in 2011, as well as the World T20 final in 2012. A more than useful strike rate of 83.74 has made him a damaging prospect in the final overs of the Sri Lankan innings.
Matthews’ steady form has been rewarded with the T20 captaincy, and the vice-captaincy in the Test side. He is one of the most sought out players in the IPL, having been bought by the Pune Warriors for the handsome sum of US$950,000.
Given his recent domination of Australian bowlers, Matthews is surely one to look out for in 2012/13.
