Angelo Mathews hammers his 16th Test century: Key stats
Angelo Mathews slammed a brilliant ton against Afghanistan on Day 2 in the only Test at the SSC ground. The Sri Lanka all-rounder hammered his 16th Test century and his seventh ton at home. Mathews brought up his milestone in 175 deliveries while smashing eight boundaries and two sixes. He mixed caution with aggression as the hosts were 328/3 when he reached his milestone.
An authoritative knock from Mathews
The veteran all-rounder came to the crease when Kusal Mendis departed. Mathews added 33 runs with Dimuth Karunaratne before the latter was dismissed. Later, he stitched a massive 200-plus run stand with Dinesh Chandimal as both batters slammed centuries. It was a much-needed partnership as both the senior batters took charge following a shaky start on Day 2 for the hosts.
Mathews completed 11,500 runs in First-Class cricket
Playing his 160th FC encounter, Mathews has accomplished 11,500 runs at an average over 49. The all-rounder has hammered 31 centuries and 56 fifties in red-ball cricket with 270 being his career-best score. With the ball in hand, Mathews has returned with 63 wickets which includes a solitary fifer with a 47-plus bowling average. He made his FC debut in November 2006.
Third-highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in Test cricket
Mathews is closing in on 7,500 runs in Test cricket. He owns 16 hundreds and 40 fifties. Notably, he is the third-highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in the longest format of the game. The 36-year-old all-rounder is only behind Lankan legends like Kumar Sangakkara (12,400) and Mahela Jayawardene (11,814). Mathews is among the three Lankan batters with 7,000-plus runs in this format.
Mathews has completed 5,500 runs in Asia
Mathews has been a mainstay for Sri Lanka in the longest format mainly because of his consistency with the bat. As per ESPNcricinfo, he has now surpassed 5,500 runs in Asia. The all-rounder has smashed 11 centuries and 31 fifties on these conditions. His highest Test score of 199 in Asian conditions came against Bangladesh in 2022.
Fourth SL batter with 4,000-plus Test runs at home
During his brilliant knock, Mathews has also completed 4,000 Test runs at home. Notably, he becomes the fourth Sri Lanka batter to accomplish 4,000-plus runs at home. Only the likes of Jayawardene (7,167), Sangakkara (6,830) and Jayasuriya (4,114) have achieved this feat on Lankan soil.
Second-highest runs for Sri Lanka since 2021 (Tests)
The veteran all-rounder has been extremely consistent with the bat in the last few years. He is the second-highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in Test cricket since 2021. Mathews owns more than 1,500 runs from 21 Tests in this period while hammering six centuries and five fifties. He is only behind Dimuth Karunaratne who has amassed more than 2,100 runs since 2021.
