Angelo Mathews is making most of his good form as he notched up yet another half-century for Sri Lanka, during their first innings against Pakistan in the ongoing opening Test match at Galle. The right-handed batsman, who was named Sri Lanka’s Test captain in February 2013, has now become the second batsman in cricket history to have a highest batting average after Sir Don Bradman.
Mathews’s excellent form with the bat has put him only after Bradman, who averaged 101.51 as Australia’s Test captain in a cut-off of more than 20 Test innings. Mathews notched up his 18th half-century in Test cricket on the fourth day of the opening Test, as he guided Sri Lanka to a position of domination. He was involved in a strong partnership of 181 runs with Kumar Sangakkara to keep Sri Lanka ahead in the game. Mathews fell after scoring 91 runs.
Mathews has been in a terrific form for Sri Lanka in this year. Apart from one minor blip – the Test series loss to South Africa at home last month – Sri Lanka have won almost everything in 2014 and this has been possible also because of Mathews’s fantastic run. In 2014, Mathews is averaging close to 85 nine Test matches, having scored two centuries and six half-centuries. He is only second in the list of most run-scorers in the year 2014, behind compatriot Kumar Sangakkara, who has more than 1,200 runs in as many matches.
As the skipper, Mathews’s average is mighty impressive, close to 86 with three tons and seven fifties.
Here is the list of most successful captains with the bat (cut-off limit being 20 innings):
