"We've given ourselves a great chance to win the Test match" - Angelo Mathews after Sri Lanka's position on day 4 in Christchurch

Veteran Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews reckons that they have New Zealand on the ropes ahead of day 5 of the first Test in Christchurch. Mathews reflected that Sri Lanka must strike early to stand a chance of winning the Test.

The right-handed batter scored a classy hundred on the back of which the tourists set New Zealand 285 to win on the final day. Right-arm seamer Kasun Rajitha struck in the fifth over to send Devon Conway back for a score of 5.

Speaking in a press conference after the fourth day's play, the 35-year-old said he trusts the fast bowlers to exploit the conditions well and defend the runs on the board.

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, Mathews stated:

"We've got the fast bowlers to exploit the conditions. We've got some fantastic fast bowlers in the group, and we have the belief that if the batters get the runs on the board, the fast bowlers will definitely come into play, with the conditions. They've done exactly that."

"We've given ourselves a great chance to win the Test match. We need to strike early to get into the game."

Mathews shared a game-changing partnership of 105 with Dinesh Chandimal as Sri Lanka bounced back from 95-4 to 200. The former skipper reached his 14th Test hundred with a boundary off Blair Tickner in the 91st over.

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"After Neil Wagner got injured, the other three fast bowlers gave nothing away" - Angelo Mathews

Neil Wanger will not play the second Test against Sri Lanka due to injury. (Credits: Getty)

The veteran cricketer underlined that he played well due to getting exposure to these conditions consistently and praised New Zealand's bowlers for doing well despite being one bowler short. Mathews added:

"The more you play the more you learn, and I've played a lot of cricket in New Zealand, and in Christchurch as well. I know what kinds of conditions we are getting here. Credit should go to the New Zealand bowlers as well."

"After Neil Wagner got injured, the other three fast bowlers gave nothing away. It was hard work out there, but they kept pegging away, and we had to work extremely hard to get those runs."

A Sri Lankan victory would go a long way in ensuring a World Test Championship (WTC) final place for them, set to take place in June at The Oval.