Battle-hardened Bangladesh threaten Sri Lanka’s home run

Sri Lanka coach, Graham Ford (R) speaks with newly appointed Sri Lankan cricket manager, Asanka Gurusinghe during a practice session at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on 6 March 2017, the eve of the first Test match against visiting Bangladesh – AFP

Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis,(C), Dhananjaya de Silva (R) and Asela Gunaratne (L) pose for photographers during a practice session at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on 6 March 2017, the eve of the first Test match against visiting Bangladesh – AFP

ESPNCricinfo: The last time Bangladesh came to Galle, they played on perhaps the flattest pitch seen in Sri Lanka this decade - one which saw the visitors amass 638, while Mushfiqur Rahim hit his nation’s first ever international double-hundred.

Four years later, things have changed. Bangladesh no longer need a placid surface to prosper. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, has consistently thrown up the most difficult batting conditions in the world. Despite frequent rains, and relatively early sunsets, each of the last 13 Tests in the country have yielded results, and only once since 2013 in that period has 500 been breached by any team.

Following Sri Lanka’s awful run in the South Africa Tests, it is perhaps tempting for Bangladesh to see the hosts as particularly vulnerable, but maybe this is overstating it. Sri Lanka have, after all, won each of their last five home Tests, whitewashing Australia and West Indies. In those matches, they also have settled on something of a home formula: bat first, score quickly before the pitch turns, set Rangana Herath and the spinners loose, and watch them gobble the opposition up.

But where Bangladesh may stick it to Sri Lanka, is with their attack. Australia and West Indies had quicks, but neither had bowlers as skilled at wreaking havoc on dusty tracks as Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan or Mehedi Hasan. Their batsmen are more accustomed to Asian tracks as well, and envenoming the visitors in their back room is a man with intimate knowledge of Sri Lankan conditions, and the Sri Lankan system.

Some say he is Sri Lanka’s most frustrating player. Others will claim he has been treated terribly by the selectors. Whatever the case, Upul Tharanga is set to come home to the opening position, this time, you hope, with a little more conviction than he has sometimes brought to the top order. Sri Lanka has been one of the toughest places in the world for an opening batsman, in recent years, so it won’t be a party exactly. But 32 years old now, and with a very good ODI hundred in his recent history, Tharanga will hope he can bed down in this position until the end of his career.

A double-ton in his last match at this venue, outstanding hundreds in each of his 2017 Tests, Mushfiqur Rahim should be approaching this game on a soaring cloud of confidence, only he has also just had the wicketkeeping gloves taken off his hands. The reasoning behind that decision is sound. Mushfiqur is perhaps capable of raising that batting average to well over 40, if he only has one discipline to focus on in the longest format. A reduced workload may also prove beneficial to his leadership. How Mushfiqur responds to a forced modification of his role may make for intriguing viewing.