Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews wants his side to emulate England
Sri Lanka may have lost both the Test and ODI series to England but captain Angelo Mathews was adamant that he wasn't going to "run away" from captaincy, reports ESPN Cricinfo. Mathews also added that England were at a not too dissimilar position last year and hopes to take his side through their current poor run.
The all-rounder took over captaincy of the Test and ODI side in 2013 and became the T20 captain earlier in the year from Lasith Malinga but he hasn't had a smooth ride so far in 2016. After the side's disastrous performance in the World T20, Sri Lanka lost the Test series 2-0 to England and the 122-run defeat in the fifth ODI meant they lost the ODI series 3-0.
Mathews admitted that this a tough run but was confident of turning it around. "There will be good times as well as bad. This is a tough time for me as a captain and for the whole unit but you can't run away from it. You have to deal with the issues," he said.
"I have a good bunch of players who support me throughout and I'm pretty sure if we keep improving day-by-day we can come out of this hole."
Mathews draws parallel with England's rise
Mathews was also keen to point out that England suffered a similar plight last year when they lost to Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the World Cup after losing 5-2 to the same side before the tournament.
"A few years back they were in the same situation as us, a rebuilding phase and they have stuck to their plans, they've stuck to their players and now you can see the results," he said. "They've been improving day-by-day and over the last six or eight months they've been playing some fantastic cricket."
He also admitted that the same issues were repeated throughout the tour and that his side were outplayed in every department in the ODIs.
"For the past two months we've been having the same problems, either batting, bowling or fielding has let us down in every single game," he said. "In the one-dayers we needed a perfect day to win against England.
"We didn't have that perfect game and we paid the price. Congratulations to the English boys, they put us under a lot of pressure and didn't give us the slightest of chances. They outplayed us in all three departments."
Sri Lanka's previous tour of England resulted in wins in both the Test and ODI series but all the visitors now have is a solitary T20 on Tuesday before they return home to face Australia in a two-month long tour encompassing all three formats.