Mathews opts out of India series due to personal reasons

Angelo Mathews will miss the white-ball series against India after requesting Sri Lanka Cricket to relieve him from national duties until further notice. Mathews last featured in the Tests against Bangladesh in April and wasn’t picked for the tour of England last month.

SLC on Wednesday (July 7) also announced that 29 of the 30 players considered for the white-ball series against India have signed the tour contract.

Last month, Sri Lanka’s players had refused to sign tour contracts for the England series amid an ongoing tussle with the board over an alleged lack of transparency in the central contracts. The players felt the ratings system used for gradation lacked clarity and that the compensation they were offered was inadequate. That was days before Sri Lanka’s departure for England for their limited-overs tour. The tour eventually went ahead as per schedule where Sri Lanka ended the tour winless.

That tour ended on a bitter note with vice-captain Kusal Mendis, opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella being sent home and suspended pending an inquiry for breaching the team’s bio-secure bubble. It’s uncertain at this stage if they will be a part of the India series.

India will play three ODIs and as many T20Is between July 13 and July 25 in Colombo. © Cricbuzz