Angelo Mathews questions Sri Lanka's limited Test schedule for 2025

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews has expressed his frustration over the Sri Lankan men's cricket team’s limited Test schedule for 2025, calling it “absolutely shocking.” The cricketer took to social media to criticize the International Cricket Council (ICC) for allocating only a handful of matches to his team.

“Absolutely shocking to hear that Sri Lanka is only playing four Test matches this entire year, including the Australia Tests this month,” Mathews posted on X, tagging the ICC.

According to the ICC's Future Tours Program (FTP), Sri Lanka is scheduled to play just four Test matches in 2025. Two of these will be completed by mid-February against Australia, with the remaining two scheduled against Bangladesh in June. These two matches will also mark the beginning of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

This limited schedule follows a similarly lean run for Sri Lanka in the ongoing 2023-25 WTC edition, where they will have played only 13 Tests, slightly ahead of Bangladesh and South Africa, who have each played 12 Tests.

Looking ahead, Sri Lanka’s prospects appear even more concerning, with only eight Tests scheduled for 2026 and 2027.

Mathews' criticism comes amid ongoing discussions within the ICC regarding a proposed two-tier Test system, which would prioritize fixtures between the "Big Three" cricketing nations: India, Australia, and England. Reports indicate that ICC Chairman Jay Shah is set to meet with Cricket Australia Chair Mike Baird and England Cricket Board Chair Richard Thompson this month to explore the proposal further.

The two-tier Test system, first suggested in 2016, has faced opposition from several boards, including the BCCI, Zimbabwe Cricket, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Critics argue that such a system could reduce revenue for lower-ranked teams, further widening the gap between the top and smaller cricketing nations.

The new system, if implemented, is expected to take effect only after the current FTP ends in 2027.

Sri Lanka, a historically strong cricketing nation outside the "Big Three," is particularly concerned about the growing disparity in Test match allocations. With the ICC focusing more on expanding limited-overs formats and catering to lucrative markets, smaller nations like Sri Lanka risk becoming further sidelined in the longest format of the game.