Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews feels that today there are no secrets in cricket.
In an exclusive interview to Gulf News, Mathews, who plays in all formats and has shown his shrewdness as a captain and an all-rounder, said: “Scrutiny through technology is such that there is no secret in cricket today because every player will be exposed. The result of it is that there is pressure on you always, whether you play your first game or last game.”
Mathews, who is one of the star players for Delhi Bulls and will be playing in the T10 format for the first time, wants to enjoy such pressure playing for a professional squad. “T10 is sure to be a special experience and I am enjoying being with the Delhi Bulls because the word family comes instantly to my mind, if I was to describe the experience here, so far. The tight-knit management and cohesive team atmosphere is evident in everything we do and it is amazing how much coach Stephen Fleming and team mentor Anis Sajan have ensured to make it comfortable and create the right mindset for the league,” said Mathews, who believes that such mindset is needed to give one’s best as cricket is a thinking game these days.
“There is lot of thinking going on behind the scene and on the field. Lot of analysis goes into the opposition and you also need to analyse yourself too to move forward day in and day out,” he said. “A lot of plans are put into place and lot of talk about approaching the game. The game has got much faster and you got to move on with the world. You have seen players coming out with different kind of approaches and innovations so you need to go and think ahead of them to be in the game.”
Mathews was hit by injuries but he revealed about his mindset to come out of it. “Injuries are part and parcel of the game as you play a lot of cricket these days. What you can do is to train yourself to try and minimise these injuries though you cannot totally get over it,” he said. “You have to manage the workload. It is all about how you manage yourself.”
Mathews then revealed how after eight months without even bowling a single delivery due to his injury that he got a wicket with the first delivery in the 2019 World Cup against West Indies. “I hadn’t held a ball for eight months before I bowled that first two overs in the World Cup. Playing in a World Cup and winning a match means everything to me. I definitely risked whether I got injured or not.”
Mathews admits that Sri Lankan cricket team is going through a testing time but he is positive too. “We have got the talent, it is just about being consistent. We have a good squad and so it all about being patient and I think the boys will deliver.”
