Sri Lanka arrive to subdued reception

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews (C) leads his side as they head for the hotel after arriving at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Sri Lanka's 15-member squad, which arrived in Dhaka yesterday, witnessed a slightly quieter reception as compared to previous international series in Bangladesh. Day 1 of any tour in the past traditionally saw a feisty interaction between the media and the visiting team at the airport, which then paved the way for an exciting start to the contest.
The tradition was not followed yesterday afternoon as the Sri Lanka contingent boarded their bus just minutes after landing.
There were several other changes made by the logistics department. Unlike touring teams of the past, Sri Lanka will be staying at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel. While it may have led to a rise in the room charges, it was a cautious plan by the board to keep the team as close to Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium as possible due to the security fears that dominated the build-up to the tour.
The inaugural press meet was instead replaced with a video file sent from the Bangladesh Cricket Board which quoted Sri Lanka's fielding coach, Ruwan Kalpage.
In the minute-long press briefer, Kalpage expressed his confidence.
“We definitely want to win the series. We played good cricket in the last tour against Pakistan (in the U.A.E) and we are looking forward to do our best in Bangladesh,” said Kalpage.
Sri Lanka drew the last Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, which saw the latter emphatically gun-down 302 runs in the last day of the third and final Test.
The scenario in Bangladesh however, will be different. The visitors do not have much time to adjust to the conditions here as the first Test begins on Sunday at Mirpur and it is something that Kalpage is aware of.
“Bangladesh have got the home advantage. The wickets and conditions will obviously suit the home team. But we are looking forward to the challenge and we will do well,” said Kalpage.
Their first opportunity to get a feel for the conditions, will be today morning when they attend their first practice session at Mirpur. Their practice session will be followed by the Bangladesh team taking the field in the afternoon.

Published: 12:00 am Saturday, January 25, 2014