Sri Lanka entered the match after a 2–1 series win over India. Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka captain warned ahead of the game that his team can not afford to relax and was expecting good performance against the newest Test nation. Historically, Sri Lanka have had a winning record at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, with Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan taking career bests at this venue. The pitch was not expected to deteriorate in the first three days and was assumed to support fast bowlers.