Key Points

Bangladesh's two-match Test tour of Sri Lanka at Galle on Tuesday will mark the commencement of the new World Test Championship cycle. Both teams bear immense pressure on their shoulders, considering their recent results in the format.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in the hunt for victory, and they will need to decode the formula for churning out runs at Galle. Past statistics paint a clear picture of the batters' hardships when the surface wears out.

In the last five years, Galle's batting average has endured a steep decline as the game progressed. From 45.64 on the opening day, to 35.61, 28.53, 28.31 and 20.65 in the following days, depicts the laboursome task of piling up runs on the board.

"I have some good memories in Kandy, but I want to take the opportunity in Galle. Playing spin may be challenging, but there's also a lot of runs in the first two or three days in Galle. We want to take that opportunity. There will be challenges for the batters as spinners take a lot of wickets in this venue. We have to bat well. We are enjoying each other's company despite all the challenges," Shanto said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The declining trend of Galle would be a massive concern for Bangladesh, stemming from their woes with the bat. Bangladesh's dreadful outings with the bat are often attributed to the exit of their seasoned stalwarts, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh is still in the process of identifying a suitable pair to fill the gap. Despite signs of instability, Shanto is confident about the experience present in his squad to do the required job.

"They are not in the team for the last two or three years; Shakib bhai and Tamim bhai served Bangladesh cricket for a long time," Shanto said. "But we don't want to think about the past. We have some experienced cricketers in the squad. They will do well here. I hope those in the team will take the team forward."

Shanto is at peace with the pool of players he has at his disposal, despite Mehidy Hasan Miraz's doubtful appearance. The 27-year-old suffers from a fever and remains doubtful for the series opener.

"Mehidy is still under observation, but his health is improving. A lot depends on his availability. If he is in the team, we can go into the Test with a good combination. I don't want to reveal where I am going to bat in the Test match. I don't want my opponent to know. We still have a few things up in the air. Miraz is still not fully well," Shanto said.

"I am happy with the Test squad. I think it is also quite positive that we all could agree on this combination. It is a balanced side with enough options for batting and bowling. We can pick the XI depending on the opposition and conditions. We also have to execute our plans by playing good cricket," he added.

- ANI