‘Youngsters filling vacuum left by Sanga, Mahela, Dilshan’ – Mathews

For the first time in about two years, Angelo Mathews has reason to approach a foreign tour with some degree of optimism. Mathews was not part of the side that recently won 2-0 in Zimbabwe. His most recent away series have been the 0-2 drubbings in England and New Zealand. He has not been part of a Test side that has won overseas since June 2014, when he clubbed 160 and took 4 for 44 in an innings – both career bests – at Headingley.

The current squad, however, arrives with a little form behind it. Of the likely top seven, four have scored a hundred in one of their six most-recent innings. One of those – Dhananjaya de Silva – has scores of 129, 65*, 64, and 127 during that period. Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, top-scored on two incredibly tough surfaces – at Pallekele and Galle – to set up the series win against Australia. On their shoulders rest many hopes.

“When Sanga, Mahela and Dilshan retired it created a vacuum in the team, but the youngsters have taken it up well,” Mathews said. “We saw in the Australia series that the youngsters like Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva were standing up. It’s …

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