Angelo Mathews, who last played for Sri Lanka in the home series against Bangladesh, will sit out of the limited overs series against India citing personal reasons.
Mathews had requested Sri Lanka Cricket to relieve him from the cricket duties until further notice with ongoing contract disputes yet unresolved. On July 7, SLC revealed that 29 out of 30 players in consideration for the series against India have signed the contracts.
The Sri Lankan players have been involved in a dispute with the board regarding the lack of transparency in the central contracts. The players had refused to sign the contracts for the England tour as they believed that the rating system lacked clarity and the compensation was not adequate. However, their tour to England went ahead as planned, where they succumbed to a 0-5 drubbing.
Mathews contemplating retirement from International cricket
The 34-year-old former captain has informed SLC that he’s considering retiring from international cricket after turning down a tour contract for the India series. Mathews is believed to be unhappy with the treatment the board has given to him and the fellow senior players during the contracts tussle.
The SLC stated that Mathews’ unavailability for the India series was due to personal reasons, but it is understood that the player has conveyed his displeasure regarding the environment he’s expected to play into the board.
Earlier, Mathews was asked to take a pay cut of USD 50000 from the central contract he was offered despite being one of the pillars of the team. Mathews is expected to take a break to consider his future in the international arena.
Earlier this year, Thisara Perera announced retirement from international cricket after it was made clear by the board that he will be dropped from the white ball teams.
Sri Lanka has discarded several senior players over the past few months, bidding to build a team around younger players, but the results have continued to be bad.
The management keeps changing the personnel, including the captains. In the recent development, Dasun Shanaka is set to take the captaincy mantle after the sacking of Kusal Perera.
