In a heart-warming show of sportsmanship and mutual respect, Bangladesh paid tribute to Sri Lankan cricketing great Angelo Mathews during the ongoing Test series in Galle. The scenes, captured at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, demonstrated the camaraderie that cricket continues to inspire beyond the boundaries of competition.
As Mathews walked out to the middle, for the final time in a Test, he was greeted with a guard of honour by his Sri Lankan teammates. But it was the gesture from the Bangladeshi camp that truly captured the spirit of the moment.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh’s Test captain, embraced Mathews with genuine warmth. The veteran all-rounder, who has been a mainstay of Sri Lanka’s Test side for over a decade, was seen with Bangladeshi players, including Mushfiqur Rahim.
Mathews’ daughter then joined him on the field, and the Sri Lankan star was seen holding her while exchanging smiles and greetings with opponents, proof that the game’s deepest values lie in mutual admiration and respect.
This display of sportsmanship comes despite the heated rivalry between the two sub-continent sides and the infamous ‘timed out’ dismissal in the last ODI World Cup. Yet moments like these serve as a reminder that the game continues to unite, inspire, and elevate the human spirit.
This marks the end of Angelo Mathews’ storied Test career; he bows out not only as one of Sri Lanka’s finest cricketers but also as a revered figure admired across dressing rooms worldwide.
The tribute was hailed by fans on social media as a “beautiful gesture” and a “perfect send-off”. In Galle, respect went far beyond the scoreboard, reminding all that, at its best, cricket is a gentleman’s game.