It should be an interesting series

The upcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan should turn out to be an interesting affair. Incidentally, it was the some countries which figured in the recent ICC Twenty20 World Cup final at Lord's last week and it would be interesting to see how soon the newly crowned World Champions and the runner up team get back to playing the established game.

The team which could switch from the shorter version of the game to the longest as quickly as possible would hold the key to the three-Test series which begins at Galle International Stadium on Saturday.

Successful transition

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam, quite rightly, has cautioned his team on the challenge ahead - his players to make a successful transition to another format following Pakistan emergence as the new World Champions in Twenty20 cricket.

Pakistan has been starved of Test cricket due to security concerns. They haven't had much opportunity to play Test cricket for nearly two years as several Test playing nations have refused to tour Pakistan due to security concerns. Even Pakistanis last home series against Sri Lanka earlier this year had a premature death after the touring team faced one of the most horrifying moments in cricket - the Lahore terror attacks. Incidentally, it was Pakistan's first series in over 14 months but it was pity that Pakistan home fans lost that rare opportunity too.

Alam has told his boys that weather and playing conditions in Sri Lanka are not going to be easy and they will have to plan a strategy after considering all aspects to field the best combination against Sri Lanka.

Spin department

Being a South Asian neighbour, hot weather is not going to pose a problem for the Pakistanis but it is the humidity which could pose problems for the quick bowlers. In the spin department Saeed Ajmal and Danish Kaneria should prove difficult to face.

On the other hand, the three-Test series against Pakistan is going to be a challenge for the home team as well. Especially when they try to put the house in order under a new captain, following the resignation of Mahela Jayawardene. But his successor Kumar Sangakkara is an accomplished player who has a proven track record and is capable of taking Sri Lanka cricket to great heights. Sangakkara vowed to produce result oriented entertaining Test cricket.

Sangakkara too has admitted that it will be a tough task for his team to readjust from Twenty20 cricket to the longest version of the game in a short period of time.

As I have stated before, Twenty20 cricket has opened a new chapter in world sport, attracting better crowds than Test or one day international cricket.

Established game

But the real game of cricket is all about how you master the established game, which should not suffer a premature death due to cowboy cricket.

In order to keep the establish game going, Sri Lanka skipper has proposed a new strategy. At Monday's news conference Sangakkara said that he believes that playing positive cricket is the only way that they could bring back the subcontinent crowds to watch Test cricket.

The new Lankan skipper Sangakkara has also stressed the importance of his batsmen occupying the crease for a longer duration and the bowlers getting used to sending down long spells under different conditions.

It is pity that wicket keeper Prasanna Jayawardena is unable to man the stumps at Galle due to a fractured finger. The decision of the selection committee to go ahead with an inexperienced set of pacies is a gamble.

Experienced fast bowlers Lasith Malinga and Chaminda Vaas too have been left out for the series, exposing a new battalion in Sri Lanka's pace armoury.

Extra pressure

However, this may put extra pressure on the slow bowlers and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis may have to work overtime to tame Pakistan batsmen. Vaas is the only Sri Lankan quick bowler to capture more than 300 Test wickets and the selectors should have given him another chance before home crowds.

No one is indispensable and if the selectors think that aging Vaas should be replaced with young blood, we totally agree with Ashantha de Mel and his committee.

I had my second thoughts on Sri Lanka's gamble of handing over the new ball to entirely an inexperienced lot who needs the guidance of an experienced fast bowler from one end. Malinga has not fully recovered to play Test cricket but selectors would have mixed youth with the experience of Vaas.

Sangakkara will have the luxury of veteran batsman Jayawardene, who will be a free man. Now to wield the willow and make big runs. Perhaps, captaincy would have been an obstacle for Jayawardene to be consistent, though he has excelled as a batsman even when he was leading the team.

Unimpressive home record

Jayawardene has said that Pakistan series will be a bigger challenge for him after giving up captaincy as he will now have to push himself only as a batsman. Jayawardene, who has an unimpressive home record against Pakistan, will be under pressure and will have to produce something extraordinary to strengthen Lankan batting.

Sri Lanka has an impressive home Test record and would make every endeavour to improve on that. Starting a Test series from Galle will be advantageous for the home team as Galle International Stadium has always been a happy hunting venue for the hosts.

Undoubtedly, Muralitharan and Mendis will have to play key roles if Sri Lanka is to start the series on an advantageous note. Muralitharan, who will be appearing in his 128th Test for Sri Lanka on Saturday, needs just 30 more scalps to become first player to complete 800 wickets in Test cricket.