SL vs ENG, ODI World Cup 2023: Angelo Mathews lauds Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis’s ‘fearless cricket’

Some cricketers by no means fade away. Fifteen years after his ODI debut, and with simply three matches below his belt within the final two-and-a-half years, Angelo Mathews and his unwavering temperament are again.

The 36-year-old is in as an harm substitute for speedster Matheesha Pathirana and the 2023 version of the World Cup shall be his fourth for Sri Lanka. In a captivating twist, the present skipper Kusal Mendis (standing in for Dasun Shanaka) made his debut below Mathews in 2016.

“He’s evolved so much over the last five, six years,” Mathews mentioned of Mendis, forward of the encounter in opposition to England. “Now he’s showing his maturity [by] playing fearless cricket. I’ve played under so many different captains and they’ve also played under me. It’s a cycle. So playing under Kusal gives me pleasure.”

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If Mathews makes the taking part in XI, his batting prowess and Mendis’ free-spiritedness shall be essential in opposition to England.

“It’s always a contest with the English. We know the brand of cricket they play and you got to be positive. If you take a backward step, they are going to jump onto you. You have to fight fire with fire.”

England’s Moeen Ali, on his half, hoped that the reigning ODI and T20 world champions’ aggressive hearth hadn’t been doused. “There are still a lot of players that can play for a long time,” the 36-year-old mentioned when requested if this England aspect was on its final legs.

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“There’s obviously a few of us who are a bit older, and more than likely won’t make the next World Cup, but I don’t think it’s the end of anything. It could potentially be the start of something else.

“We’re still in the competition. We’ve got to win every game. But we know that we can do it.

“We’re obviously disappointed by the result [vs. South Africa]. Not just the result, but the way we played. But you’ve got to move on. Everything is a must-win and we’ve been in this position before, probably not to this degree. We have to get our confidence [back] and perform.”