Sri Lanka don’t mind underdogs’ tag, says Mathews
Sri Lanka will embrace the ‘underdog’ tag at the ICC Champions Trophy in England, according to skipper Angelo Mathews.
A joint-winner in 2002, Sri Lanka has only reached the semi-final stage once since, getting to the last four in the 2013 edition, also in England.
In a pool also featuring India, Pakistan and South Africa, Mathews admits his team is being seen as an outsider to lift the trophy, but is confident Sri Lanka has the firepower to make a run at the title.
“All the teams are quite even, I think in the past few months we have had a few lapses here and there. Nobody will give us a chance, to be really honest, but we are happy to enter the tournament as underdogs.
“We are confident, we have prepared extremely well. In Sri Lanka and England for the past few days, it’s been really good. Hopefully we can play tomorrow’s practice game (against Australia), and get a good practice out of it.
“All the teams are quite even but it’s on the given day, the guys who make less mistakes will win. It can be England, it can be us, it can be anyone.
“Everyone has got a chance, no one can write anyone off and I’m sure it will be a very exciting tournament.”
Still only 29, Mathews is one of the veteran leaders in the Sri Lanka team, and was part of the side that beat England 3-2 in a one-day international series back in 2014.
While the batting line-up has a very different look to it in this tournament, Mathews is confident that Sri Lanka can use that experience to its advantage.
“We are a team where we stick to our basics. We’ve played pretty well in England, especially in 2014, so we will try to take a leaf out of it.
“We are a pretty young, inexperienced team, but a few of us have played in England. Anyone can change a game at any given stage. We have got the talent, the skill in the team, it’s just that we have to go out there and express ourselves,” he said.
Kane Williamson knows what it is like to be part of a thrilling one-day series in England, but the New Zealand captain hopes there will be a better result for his team as his side prepares for the Champions Trophy.
New Zealand led 2-1 in a bestof-five one-day series in 2015, but England rallied to win 3-2 in one of the most memorable international series in recent times.
The two will meet again this summer after being drawn with Australia and Bangladesh in Group A, and Williamson is adamant his side will repeat the attacking brand of cricket it displayed two years ago on English soil.
The group has a familiar feel to it, with New Zealand drawn against England and Australia four years ago, when it failed to reach the knock-out rounds by coming third.
Williamson is set to lead New Zealand into his first major 50-over tournament as captain, having taken over the reins from Brendon McCullum in 2016.
The 26-year-old has fond memories of the last time he took on England away from home, although he insists it will have little impact on the result when they meet next week.
“Any time you have those experiences against opponents you are coming up against in similar conditions, it is the same side too, it is only a good thing,” he said.
“But you don’t tend to look too much into it in tournaments like this – it is a one-off game and both teams will be playing with freedom and hope it comes off.
“But there is not much time for slip-ups or conservative cricket.”
In contrast to the 50-over World Cup, the Champions Trophy does not allow sides to start slowly.
New Zealand open against Australia at Edgbaston on June 2 before tackling host England at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff four days later.
Cardiff is the scene again for their final group game, against Bangladesh on June 9.
“It is such an interesting tournament because it is such a short tournament,” said the Kiwi skipper.