Angelo Mathews - The second innings superstar

Angelo Mathews in action at Pallekele

Angelo Mathews is pulling off another outstanding second innings rearguard act at Pallekele against Pakistan as I write. At end of the third day’s play in the ongoing Test, he has the second highest second innings average in the history of Test cricket, only behind Sir Don Bradman.

The burly all-rounder, who was assumed to be a bits-and-pieces limited overs specialist when he debuted in 2008, has come a long way. Currently, Mathews holds the record of the highest (positive) difference between second and first innings average of all players who have played cricket in the last 15 years.

Mathews is followed by Darren Bravo and Tamim Iqbal – both of whom average less than 35 in the first innings, making their second innings exploits look better than they actually are. In fact, Bravo’s second innings average is boosted by an innings of 218 against New Zealand (16% of Bravo’s second innings runs came in that one innings).

Thus, effectively, Mathews is 11 runs ahead of the second best consistent Test batsman – David Warner – and 13 runs ahead of VVS Laxman, who was considered a second innings specialist.

Surprisingly, Sri Lanka’s youngest Test captain doesn’t quite find himself in elite company in the list. But it is not Mathews who is to be blamed for that.

Most of the legendary Test batsmen have enjoyed the first innings of Test matches. From Sachin Tendulkar to Brain Lara, and from Ricky Ponting to Rahul Dravid, all have scored predominantly in the first innings – when the pitch is better and pressure lesser.

Below is a list of eminent Test batsmen who have played in the last 15 years and fared much better in the first innings:

Players who have fared better in the 1st innings

Players	First innings average	Second innings average	Difference
Virender Sehwag	62.50	30.25	-32.25
Mahela Jayawardene	60.13	33.64	-26.49
Brian Lara	63.94	38.18	-25.76
Mohammad Yousuf	60.03	41.45	-18.58
Ross Taylor	52.71	35.29	-17.42
Sachin Tendulkar	60.10	42.78	-17.32
Rahul Dravid	59.12	41.83	-17.29
Michael Clarke	57.33	40.07	-17.26
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	58.31	41.43	-16.88
Adam Gilchrist	52.10	36.61	-15.49
Ricky Ponting	57.49	42.16	-15.33
Kevin Pietersen	53.49	38.38	-15.11
AB de Villiers	56.79	44.32	-12.47
Kumar Sangakkara	61.85	52.45	-9.40
Michael Hussey	55.12	45.87	-9.25

Sehwag and Jayawardene, shockingly, average less than 35 in the second innings. To put that into perspective, bowling all-rounder Chris Cairns averages 32.79 and former Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar averages 30.81 in the second innings. Permanent struggler Neil McKenzie averages 38.12 – only 0.06 less than Lara.

Even the best batsmen among Mathews’ contemporaries – De Villiers, Pietersen, Clarke and Taylor, fall well short.

While on the topic, let us also see how other big names of the last decade and a half fare.

Players who have fared better in the 2nd innings

Players	First innings average	Second innings average	Difference
Jacques Kallis	54.89	56.26	1.37
Matthew Hayden	50.02	51.82	1.80
Younis Khan	55.57	50.07	-5.50
Misbah-ul-Haq	48.23	47.58	-0.65
Inzamam-ul-Haq	51.23	46.97	-4.26
Alastair Cook	46.89	46.84	-0.05
Graeme Smith	49.63	46.19	-3.44
Kane Williamson	47.26	43.48	-3.78

Kallis was possibly the most consistent performer in both innings; he is the only batsman to average more than 54 in each. Cook has almost identical averages in both innings going into the Ashes while Graeme Smith and Younis Khan – both known for their fourth-innings heroics – surprisingly average more in the first innings.

Angelo Mathews has a long way to go in his Test career. By the end of it, he might not be holding these records. But there’s no doubting that from here on, he will surely be playing the role of Sri Lanka’s premier Test batsman.

As a young all-rounder, it would have been easy for Matthews to walk into the stereotype – smash the ball around at the end of a limited-overs innings and bowl a few overs. That is what Shane Watson, Shahid Afridi and Justin Kemp had been doing before Mathews, and that is what Kieron Pollard, Albie Morkel and Yusuf Pathan were doing when Mathews started his career.

Thankfully, Mathews chose to be different.

Note: All stats are till before the Pallekele Test. Minimum criterion for qualification is 1000 runs in the second innings.