Angelo Mathews smashes 11th career Test ton: Records broken
Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews brought up his 11th career Test century in the ongoing Day 1 of the second Test against England in Galle. Coming into bat when the score read 7/2, Mathews showed character and focus to put up a valiant effort. He has chipped in with two crucial stands, helping Sri Lanka score 229/4 at stumps. Here's more.
Mathews scores a patient century against England
Mathews is currently unbeaten on 107 from 228 balls. His innings have been studded with 11 fours at a strike rate of 46.93. Notably, Mathews brought his experience into play and helped his side thwart the English bowlers. He saw off James Anderson, who was terrific in the morning, and then batted well against England spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach.
Mathews shares two strong partnerships on Day 1
A 69-run stand between Lahiru Thirimanne (43) and Mathews helped Sri Lanka get to a position of safety. Mathews was then supported by Dinesh Chandimal (121-ball 52). Together, these two batsmen put up a 116-run stand for the fourth wicket. They rotated the strike well and brought up the scoring rate. Their stand helped Lanka build a good score.
Mathews surpasses Pujara and Gibbs, smashes fifth ton at home
Playing his 88th Test match, Mathews has raced to 6,186 runs at the moment. He surpassed the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara (6,111) and Herschelle Gibbs (6,167) in terms of Test runs. Mathews also went past 3,300 runs at home in Test cricket. He brought up his fifth Test century on home soil and a first against England.
Mathews achieves these feats against England
Mathews brought up his third ton against England in Test cricket. This is the joint-second best tally by a Lankan player (alongside Kumar Sangakkara). Mahela Jayawardene (8) has the most tons against England. He has also gone past 950 runs against England, becoming the third Lankan batsman to register this feat.
Other records scripted by Mathews
Notably, this was Mathews' first-ever Test century at Galle. It took him 34 innings to get a Test century at this venue. In the 33 innings earlier, he had scored 11 fifties. Notably, Mathews scored his first ton at home since 2015. This was also his fourth fifty-plus score in the last six innings.
