Sri Lanka will want to assert their dominance at home when they host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, starting with the first Test in Galle from Tuesday.
The Lankans showed their might in familiar conditions when they thumped Australia last year, but this Sri Lanka side is also one very much in transition, still trying to find their place in the game following the retirements of stalwarts such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
One man whose place in the Sri Lanka team remains firm, though, is Rangana Herath. Herath is the main reason Sri Lanka have such a good record at home, having beaten both Australia and the West Indies, and while the left-armer might not be quite as effective in conditions outside the sub-content, when it comes to playing on slow pitches, there are very few better.
Bangladesh, of course, will know that and the key for Mushfiqur Rahim's team will be to negate the Herath threat and try and put up big scores in the first innings. The more pressure the Sri Lankan bowlers feel, as they did against South Africa recently, the better Bangladesh's chances of taking something away from this series.
"You have to play big innings in Tests, whether you are in the top or middle order," Mushfiqur, whose Bangladesh side put up a decent show in the one-off Test against India in February, said.
"Our batsmen are trying hard, but sometimes they haven't been able to do it. Over the last two weeks they have put in a lot of effort, and I hope it is reflected on our performance in the game."
While Sri Lanka have their biggest threat in Herath, Bangladesh also have their own weapon in Mustafizur Rahman, who can prove to be a real handful on slow pitches, with his variations in pace and ability to get the yorkers in.
You never know which ball is going to come out of Mustafizur's hand and that makes the left-arm pacer, coming back from an injury, a really dangerous bowler, even in the Test format.
"We have Mustafizur now with Shakib (Al Hasan) and Mehedi (Hasan) who have done well together already," Mushfiqur added. "The type of bowler he is, Mustafizur will make them work hard on this wicket.
"Many of them are going to play him for the first time, which we have seen is difficult for any batsman. We also have Taskin Ahmed, but we have to make sure to grab the opportunities that come our way."
When to Watch Live
The first Test is scheduled for a 10am local time (10am IST, 10.30am Bangladesh time, 4.30am GMT).
Live Streaming and TV information:
India: TV: Ten 3. Live Streaming: ESPN Watch.
Sri Lanka: TV: Ten Sports.
Bangladesh: TV: Channel 9.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
