"We have to fight fire with fire" - Angelo Mathews on facing New Zealand as prospect of reaching WTC final looms

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews admits they face a formidable challenge of beating New Zealand in their backyard in the upcoming two-Test series. The veteran all-rounder feels the tourists must fight fire with fire as he expects the Kiwis to come hard at them.

The island nation faces the daunting task of winning both Tests in New Zealand to progress to the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Sri Lanka are currently third in the WTC standings with 53.33 percentage points and have won five Tests out of 10. While Sri Lanka must beat the Black Caps 2-0, they also have to hope for Australia to beat India in Ahmedabad.

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Speaking ahead of the first Test in Christchurch, starting on Thursday, Mathews said they understand the magnitude of the challenge before them. The former captain also revealed that they won't resort to England's aggressive brand of cricket.

As quoted by Perth Now, the 35-year-old said:

"Beating New Zealand in New Zealand is certainly going to be a huge task but last time we played some good cricket over here. We have to fight fire with fire because they're going to come hard at us. Obviously, the English are playing a different brand of cricket. No pressure at all. We know that we've got to win both games to be in the final and we have to play really good cricket. It's pretty straightforward."

The visitors can draw inspiration from their 2019 tour as they managed to draw one of the two Tests. While the first match in Wellington ended in a draw, the Kiwis blew Sri Lanka away in the second game in Christchurch by 423 runs.

Sri Lanka's only Test series victory in New Zealand came in 1995

Sri Lanka cricket team. (Credits: Getty)

Sri Lanka's only Test series victory in New Zealand to date came in 1995 when the visitors, led by Arjuna Ranatunga, won the first game in Napier by 241 runs, while the second Test in Dunedin didn't produce a result. Hence, Dimuth Karunaratne has his task cut out.

The two Captains pose for the shutterbugs ahead of the #NZvSL two match Test series. 📸

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The Black Caps have also not lost a Test series since 2017 when the Proteas, captained by Faf du Plessis, emerged triumphant. Tim Southee and Co. evaded a series loss recently as they prevailed by a run in the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.