Angelo Mathews' inspiration to take up captaincy again

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews recently revealed his inspiration behind taking the captaincy role again. Mathews has been named the skipper of the side till the 2019 World Cup in England. Last year when he stepped down from captaincy in July he admitted that he wanted to give the new captain enough time to settle before the 2019 World Cup.

The island nation has been struggling to get a captain for their side. They tried out five different captains in One-Day Internationals in 2017. After a series of poor performances in different tours, the captaincy of Sri Lanka’s ODI and the T20I outfit has been given to Mathews.

Sri Lanka Cricket has been on a downhill journey in the past few years and will be hoping that Mathews’ captaincy can bring glory for them. The all-rounder burst on to the scene after some terrific knocks for the Sri Lanka A side where Hathurusingha was the coach.

He is going to be our long-term captain

The Sri Lankan selectors are keen on having Mathews as their captain foreseeing the 2019 World Cup. Graeme Labrooy, the chairman of selectors said that the board wants the 30-year-old to continue as captain even after the 2019 World Cup.

“My reason for backing Angelo was that I needed the best person to lead the side. We wanted someone who was sure of his place on the side to lead the team,” Hathurusingha remarked. He has been with Mathews since his days with Sri Lanka ‘A’ side.

The all-rounder further added that he never thought that he would have to take the captaincy role again. The selectors wanted him to reconsider his decision. 

“I thought about it and there are few reasons for me to take it again. We need to have stability leading up to the 2019 World Cup which is less than 18 months away,” Mathews said.

“I have known Hathu [Hathurasingha] for a long time. I know how he operates. He is not here to survive. It is very easy to work with him as he has his goals. He played a major part in me making this decision to take up the captaincy again. He is going to be an important part in the run-up to the World Cup campaign. The other cricket countries are dying to take him as he is the best in the business. We have worked a lot together with the ‘A’ team and then with the senior team,” Added the 30-year-old.

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