Angelo retorts, signals his fitness with ten quick pushups and flexes his biceps
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Upon reaching his fighting rearguard ninth Test hundred on the fourth day of the first Test in Basin Reserve, Wellington, Angelo Mathews, who was still resentful at the decision to exclude him from the shorter formats, performed 10 quick pushups and flexed his biceps in the direction of the dressing room. This act was undoubtedly specifically aimed at coach Chandika Hathurusingha – who, with the members of the ex-selection committees, were responsible for the hasty decision to drop him. Angelo no doubt wanted to convince the coach that he had no fitness and running between the wickets issues anymore. Angelo let his emotions show for the second time after he let his “bat to do the talking” earlier.
Mathews was axed as ODI captain and then dropped from Sri Lanka’s shorter format teams entirely based on fitness grounds, according to Hathurusingha and the former selectors. They also drew attention to the fact that Angelo had several injury layoffs over the past two years, with his hamstrings and calves causing him special concern. Following Mathews’ omission from the shorter formats, Hathurusingha also called into question Mathews’ running between the wickets, qualifying the number of run outs in which he had been involved in as a “world record”. This was totally disproved by Angelo batting through more than an entire day.
This mammoth and stubborn partnership with Kusal Mendis in the face of a monumental first innings deficit batting for over a day and for a further fifty minutes on day five before rain interrupted bringing an anticlimax to the Test calls for very high praise. New Zealand Skipper Kane Williamson said, “Two guys put their hands up and didn’t give us an opportunity for a day.” They tried bowling short from around the wicket. They tried bowling full to tempt a loose drive, with plenty of catching men in front of square to snaffle a low chance. They also bowled their spinner unchanged from one end for an entire session, then switched around their quicks so the ones who were running into the wind, now had the breeze behind them. There were short legs, square gullies, short mid-ons, every variation of the fine leg imaginable, leg slips, wide slips, and at one point, a fly slip. But through the course of 108.4 overs, the duo Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis dodged every arrow New Zealand fired at them. Williamson further said, “We praise the opposition batsmen for their epic feat of endurance. I don’t think I’ve been part of a game where two guys have batted a whole day. Not only did they not lose their wickets, they refused to give the opposition so much as a half chance. There were no strong lbw shouts, and no edges that dropped just short though a few balls did beat the bat. At the end of it all, New Zealand Skipper Kane Williamson felt he could not fault his own team for effort or creativity, instead could only hail the epic test of endurance of the duo.
This gruelling feat of batting through the entire day was performed after ten years and ten months for the 22nd time in the history of Test cricket after South African opening pair of Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith did so against Bangladesh in February 2008. It was Asanka Gurusinghe and Arjuna Ranatunga who performed this feat first for Sri Lanka in year 1986. Then Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama batted together for over two full days breaking a long-standing world record in year 1998 against India which was superseded in year 2006 by Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara against South Africa.
In his letter of resignation Mathews stated that he felt betrayed as most decisions are usually taken collectively by the coach and selection committee. The entire blame for the debacle cannot be placed on him, but he was willing to assume part of the responsibility. He said he had been made the ‘scapegoat’ of the Asia Cup debacle.
After Angelo performed admirably in the Galle Test with a fighting half ton, coach Hathurusinghe made a sarcastic comment that his fitness and attitude had improved since been axed from the shorter formats. Angelo retorted saying there had been no difference in his preparation for the three Test series as he had trained in his usual manner. All these developments had made Angelo more energetic. The pushups and the flexing of his biceps in the direction of the dressing room were to show his resentment regarding the allegations made against him.
Bravo Angelo for showing your resentment appropriately, initially by letting your “bat to do the talking” and this time with quick pushups and flexing of biceps.
Sunil Thenabadu via email sthenabadu@hotmail.com in BRISBANE