Angelo Mathews unfazed by pressure and expectation ahead of Australia series

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, is gearing up for one of the biggest challenges of his captaincy tenure against Australia at home, with the Test series beginning on Tuesday (July 26). As the leader of a transnational Sri Lankan side, Mathews understands the load of expectation on his shoulders and is keen to absorb the pressure.

Mitchell Starc, Australia's comeback pacer, had recently revealed that the visitors would target Mathews, especially after Sri Lanka's recently concluded disastrous tour of England. Starc made comparisons with his own skipper Steven Smith, who he believes has led the World number one Test side from the front. The Sri Lankan captain though remains unfazed, as a long-winded rebuilding process takes shape.

"This rebuilding voyage is definitely long term," Mathews told Sri Lanka Cricket on Sunday. "It would be a progressive phasing of getting the right combinations in place. You have two options - either you run away from reality or stay and get your team back to winning ways."

Despite averaging a paltry 25 for his 125 runs in the Test series in England, Mathews is still viewed as the home team's most valuable player. The last time Australia toured Sri Lanka in 2011 for a Test series, Mathews averaged 91. He now has a massive task on his shoulders to not only lead from the front but also improve Sri Lanka's poor Test record against the visitors. In 26 previous meetings, Sri Lanka have managed to defeat Australia only once, at home in 1999.

"It is nice to have that pressure," Mathews said. "For life is all about pressure. It is nice for people to have expectations, but when you are the captain, I don't think much about expectations. Expectations are always there. You need to back your instincts as a player."