Sujan Rao
by Tim Holt
The curse and beauty of the Sri Lankan Team is they rarely get recognition for not only the fine Team they are but also the very talented individuals in the Team.
Like the classic example is Kumar Sangakkara…. Answer this……
If a question was asked on a global cricket site about who is the World best batsman?
How many would say Sanga – I dare say very few….. But this is more about the lack of coverage he gets rather than his record which pretty much dwarfs everyone else.
Again in this World Cup let me ask you this…………?
Which all rounder would you take out of all the ones on offer? Im sure most would say Shahid Afridi or Abdul Razzaq. Or the more refined would say Jacques Kallis or Shakib al Hasan. Then the more delusional Steven Smith.
These answers again highlighting the ambivalence of Sri Lankan players.For all these are indeed worthy of consideration,but none in my humble opinion can hold a candle to the exceptional all round talents of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews.
For forget about the fact that in the last year he has averaged 54.50 with the bat and 32.90 with the ball- which is the Worlds best for an all rounder.
Though there is another predominate trait in his make up that adds a third all round talent to his game that is indeed as precious as a diamond. That being his natural leadership.
Sri Lanka might be lead by Sangakkara and aided by Mahela Jayawardene, but Mathews in truth is one of the best young leaders seen in the game in a long time.
To speak in a language all Sri Lankans will understand…
He could be as great a leader as Arjuna Ranatunga….!
This is a huge call considering Arjuna is viewed as the the Father of Sri Lankan cricket.Though Mathews has that same distinctive Ranatunga charisma about him.A steely self belief that is unshakable in the wake of any onslaught and the ice running through his veins to deal with any pressure situation.
In this World Cup you can see a moment that will define Sri Lanka’s eventual fate and if Mathews is their you can see him negotiating it to Sri Lanka’s advantage
For his talent with the bat and ball will win games…but combine it with his natural leadership it could help win the World Cup
Posted with permission from
Posted with permission from my dear friend, Tim Holt.
Not a chance he hasn’t one
Not a chance he hasn’t one tenth of the personality. Also he lacks the security of being Sinhala Buddhist doesn’t he ?
I disagree. Angelo has lot to
I disagree. Angelo has lot to learn. He is not consistent in his line and length when it come to bowling and also i think his batting performance has also gone down. Said that nevertheless i am going to say he is bad, he is one of my favourite young player who has shown good potential in the future. He could be the sequel of Angelo but the time awaits him.
Premature to make this call I
Premature to make this call I reckon and he is yet to prove anything at test level to even be brought up in the same article as Arjuna! He is a good one day player and is a definitely an alround talent in the shoter version of the game and havent really seen his leadership qualities. I know he captained under 19’s but not sure if he led the A team to warrant comparisson to Arjuna.
I sincerely hope the author is correct as thats something to look forward to given he still very young.
when he first emerged in the
when he first emerged in the national side, i thought he was an enthusiastic slogger who was more likely to keep his place through bowling well. but he is now a mature batsman, who alters his game on the basis of the situation when he comes in.
his bowling, while useful in limited overs is not going to take wickets in tests, where batsmen are under less pressure to hit you.
^^i mean he is an allrounder
^^i mean he is an allrounder in T20/ODI but a batsman in tests. young guy and by the time sanga retires he could be the perfect candidate
He is just very good looking.
He is just very good looking. Still long way to go. Every player goes through bad form and a bad run. No one will be talking about him if he starts batting like Kapu.
This Tim Holt guy has his own
This Tim Holt guy has his own blog here right? Why is this posted on your blog Sujan? He writes like a 4 year old any way///
Right now if you compare
Right now if you compare Angelo and Thisara….Thisara bowls much better and Angelo bats better for tests but not for ODI, batting at 7.
I think he’s still got some
I think he’s still got some points to prove. He has to accomplish more as a batsman. His bowling form hasn’t been the same since the injury. I think the world cup is a good chance for him to show his talents or to some extent confirm.
my answer for the 1st
my answer for the 1st question would different.
4 me it’s mahela jayawardene.
sanga,angie,mahela ,murali all played well in the last match against kiwis.but solid performance is required in each & every match.performing well in few matches does not make you a world hero.
through out this wc yuvraj sihng performed really well.he’s a genuine all rounder.
@ ravana- anjelo is catholic,the religion does not matter,if you are really talented!
Religion shouldn’t play a
Religion shouldn’t play a part in cricket. Angelo Matthews is best the best candidate for future captaincy, being a promising batsmen and although he is not that fast he is an accurate bowler. He is in perfect position to take the captaincy and be groomed by Sanga and Mahela, but the decision to give to Dilshan captaincy is a hollow and short term publicity campaign.