"If you watch Malinga in the nets, he's the one who is working the hardest," Mathews said. "He bowls for hours so he can get his rhythm back. He tries very hard to do his best for the team. We all know how good a bowler he is, because the things he does when in form are immense. I think he will come good."
Malinga has been the pivot of Sri Lanka's limited-overs attack since Muttiah Muralitharan's retirement, and as such, his return to form is paramount to the campaign. However, the remaining bowlers have also largely been inconsistent during their time in the Antipodes, and Mathews said confidence is the key to regaining the attack's lost potency.