Mathews calls time on a gritty career

Angelo Mathews has finally played his last card. While his longtime mate Dimuth Karunaratne called it a day after the Australian series, Mathews had resisted - gritting his teeth and soldiering on, even as the runs began to run dry and Sri Lanka slumped to four straight Test defeats.

- BY REX CLEMENTINE

But now, the veteran has decided to walk away. The upcoming Test against Bangladesh in Galle will be his swansong.

That it ends in Galle feels poetic. It was here, back in 2009, that Mathews made a memorable debut against Pakistan - Kumar Sangakkara's first outing as Test captain. And it was Sangakkara who famously, without blinking, said at the MCG in 2012 that Mathews would be the next Sri Lankan to reach 10,000 Test runs.