Friday 20 May 2016 08:09, UK
Angelo Mathews insists Sri Lanka must move on from their Headingley glory of 2014 as they set their sights on more heroics at the same venue in the first Investec Test against England, live on Sky Sports.
Mathews will be captain again when the three-Test series gets under way on Thursday, as he was when Sri Lanka inflicted an agonising defeat on England with the penultimate ball of the match two years ago.
That brought them their first outright series victory in this country and for company back then, Mathews had Sri Lanka's two greatest batsmen, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
They have since retired from Test cricket and Mathews believes Sri Lanka's best chance of more success in England is to allow the relatively recent past to remain there.
"It's certainly an inspiration, but it's history for us," he said. "We will cherish it for the rest of our lives, but we have to move on ... and look forward to the challenge starting tomorrow."
Mathews' career-best 160 was the defining contribution to Sri Lanka's 100-run win last time.
With cloudy, often damp, weather expected, Mathews said: "We'll have to play our best cricket over the next five days to beat England, because we know they are a very competitive team.
"Especially in this kind of weather, playing against England in England, it's a very tough ask."
They must do so without the reassurance of two middle-order batsman who made more than 24,000 Test runs between them.
"We don't have the two legends now - we've got to move on," Mathews added. "But they've shared their experience, and it's just a matter of our guys getting used to the conditions - they've got the skill, they've got the talent.
"The ball will tend to swing and seam quite a lot, but don't get intimidated by the conditions - watch the ball and hit it."
They will be without Dhammika Prasad, the seamer who ran through England's top order last time with five second-innings wickets. He injured his shoulder in last week's warm-up match against Essex.
"That is a setback for us," said Mathews. "He's our premier fast bowler, and performed really well against England here.
"It's going to be a big loss. We hope he can be ready for the second Test."
Sri Lanka will wear black armbands at Headingley, following the loss of many lives and thousands of homes to floods and landslides in their home country.
"We're so sad to hear about all the casualties and the hundreds and thousands of people affected," said Mathews. "We want to show our love and support. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with them."
Watch England and Sri Lanka's first Investec Test, at Headingley, from 10am, Thursday, Sky Sports 2. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.
