Sri Lanka were 194 for five at the close on day 3 in the second Test against England.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal also acknowledged Mendis and Mathews had saved the game for his side, who were dominated by New Zealand over the first three days.
Roshen Silva struck a combative fifty and expertly guided Sri Lanka's lower order to help the hosts gain a first-innings lead of 46 against England on the second day of the second Test on Thursday.
Sri Lanka ODI captain Upul Tharanga said the hosts will have to quickly forget the 0-3 drubbing in the Test series and draw confidence from their win over India in the ICC Champions Trophy in June.
Sri Lanka will play three Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals against India.
"It was tough up front, the Sri Lanka bowlers didn't give us much to work with," Markram told reporters.
After a gap of nearly 20 months, the Pakistan cricket team will finally be playing a proper and full Test series when they tour Sri Lanka in July.
Sri Lanka struggled to get to grips with Bangladesh's spin bowlers but fought back to score 313 for six at the close of the second day.
Australia won the first Test by an innings and 40 runs after Brett Lee took three of the five wickets on the fifth day.
The PCB said in its statement that the match against Sri Lanka would be a continuation of the return of international cricket to Pakistan following the World XI tour to Lahore next week.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have suspended Kithuruwan Vithanage from all forms of the game for one year after finding him guilty of misconduct and breaching the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct.
Dom Bess claimed five wickets as England dismissed hosts Sri Lanka for 135
Captain Mahela Jayawardene stroked a superb 123 to help Sri Lanka to a dramatic one-wicket victory over South Africa on the final day of the second Test.
Sri Lankan paceman Shaminda Eranga has been discharged from a Dublin hospital after doctors found nothing abnormal in tests conducted on the fast bowler, his team management said on Monday. The 29-year-old was admitted with an elevated heartbeat after feeling discomfort while batting during Sri Lanka's one-day international win over Ireland on Saturday, and was placed under observation for more than 24 hours.
Sri Lanka suffered a fresh blow due to injury after pace spearhead Nuwan Pradeep was ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Test series against India in Colombo on Friday.
Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu said they would struggle against the world champions without the off spinner.
Mahela Jayawardene, batting with three stitches in his left hand, ignored the pain to complete his 32nd Test hundred and put Sri Lanka firmly in the driving seat in the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday.
Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, the most successful left-arm spinner in Test history, will retire after the series opener against England in Galle next month, local media reported on Monday.
The Sri Lankan selectors, on Sunday, dropped batsman Kusal Mendis from their 15-member squad while Angelo Mathews returned to lead the side in the upcoming tour of India.
They will play five one-day internationals immediately after their rescheduled tour of New Zealand.
Mumbai Indians spinner Raghu Sharma's 15-year journey of struggle, faith and persistence culminates in a memorable IPL breakthrough at age 33.
Images from the opening day of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Galle, on Sunday.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews will appear before police on Tuesday to record a statement in connection with a match-fixing scandal that has led to the suspension of a fast bowling coach.
As India take on Sri Lanka in a three Test series, Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers.
The dates for India's tour to Sri Lanka next month are out.
The susceptible technique of Indian batsmen in seamer-friendly conditions was thoroughly exposed as Sri Lanka comfortably beat India by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series.
Oman's Aamir Kaleem has become the oldest player to feature in a Twenty20 World Cup, surpassing Ryan Campbell's record. Despite the milestone, Kaleem remains focused on contributing to his team's success and advocating for more opportunities for associate nations to compete against full-member teams.
The hosts amassed a 492-run at the end of the third day in the second Test.
If the home fans had hoped the change in format would bring a change in fortune, they were left bitterly disappointed with India breezing to their 217-run target in under 29 overs.
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, on Sunday, said he felt disillusioned with the state of cricket in the country and thus declined an offer to play a role in the team's World Cup campaign.
Sri Lanka will look towards veteran Lasith Malinga to deliver with the ball and get them back on the winning path after their horror showing in the three-Test series.
Australia captain Steve Smith has declined to rule out a surprise return for fast bowler Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test against England.
South Africa were 21-2 chasing a huge 493-run target when torrential rain ended play on the fourth day of the second Test.
Mendis contributed 35 in Sri Lanka's 378 all out at the Galle International Stadium.
Sri Lanka will play three Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals against India.
Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya has said that the hastily-arranged five-match ODI series in India, to be held in early next month, will help the fringe players prove their worth before next year's World Cup.
Sri Lanka will start next month's Champions Trophy as underdogs but are confident they have the quality to compete for the title, captain Angelo Mathews said on Thursday.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera picked five wickets as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 68 runs in the second Test in Dubai on Tuesday and won the series 2-0. Perera had figures of 5-98 as Pakistan, chasing 317 for victory, were bowled out for 248 in the second hour of fifth and final day at Dubai stadium.
Sri Lanka head coach Graham Ford has confirmed he will quit when his contract expires in January, despite being pressed to reconsider by the island nation's cricket authorities.
