Mathews unavailable for England tour for personal reasons

Angelo Mathews has made himself unavailable for selection up until mid-June due to personal reasons, meaning there’s no chance of former skipper making the trip to England for the limited over series.

Mathews is among several other seniors including skipper Dimuth Karunaratne dropped for the Bangladesh series which Sri Lanka lost 2-1 but given its fragile batting order there was pressure from all quarters to bring at least Mathews back - the most experience player around the Sri Lankan set up.

A veteran of 218 ODI matches, Mathews has been a key player in the national side since he made his debut back in 2008 but his recent performances did not earn him a place. In his last four ODI outings, Mathews has managed just 23 runs.

“He has informed us of his unavailability,” said a selector. Even though the doors are not completely closed on the seniors, there’s less chance of Mathews and the rest of the seniors making into the side as selectors have started a new journey with what they think is a team that would play in 2023.

Mathews is the only current player in the national side to maintain an average above 40 in Tests and ODI cricket and even though he turns 34 on Wednesday, many believe, he could be a vital cog in the Sri Lanka set up leading up to the 2023 World Cup.

"The door is not closed for anybody - certainly not," team head coach Mickey Arthur said after Sri Lanka’s series defeat to Bangladesh.

"We've started on a journey with what we think is a team that will play in 2023, but the door is not closed on anybody. Certainly some senior players can come at any given time depending on performances. We're trying to create depth within our side, so everybody puts pressure on each other."