Cricket is a game of fine margins. If the coin had been angled differently when it hit the Galle International Stadium pitch yesterday, maybe it would have been Bangladesh enjoying a batting-friendly pitch and the Sri Lankans toiling away in the heat.

A blistering century from Kusal Mendis and 85 from Asela Gunaratne enabled the hosts to pile up 321 for 4 after 88 overs in the first Test against Bangladesh at the Galle International Stadium today.

Almost exactly four years ago, this very setting was the scene of his highest personal peak. In a team that contained more obvious candidates for stardom, it was skipper Mushfiqur Rahim who confirmed what many thought but had not often voiced -- that he is the best batsman in Bangladesh -- with Bangladesh's first Test double-hundred.

Midway through the captains' press conference yesterday, on the eve of the first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Galle, Mushfiqur Rahim quietly made one of the strongest statements of his tenure.

Much of the talk regarding the first Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka due to start at 10:30am (Bangladesh time) on Tuesday at the Galle International Cricket Stadium has surrounded Bangladesh's previous visit here in March 2013.

With it still being unseasonably pleasant in Bangladesh, the heat in Galle is the first thing that hits Bangladeshis coming here. But it is only one of the aspects of the examination that Bangladesh will face when they take on the home team in the first Test tomorrow.

Bangladesh will have a chance to overtake the West Indies in the points table if it is able to pull off a victory in a two-Test series against Sri Lanka that starts in Galle on Tuesday.

With an eye on improving its less than impressive away record, Bangladesh will look to catch an under-strength Sri Lanka off guard when the two-Test series gets underway in Galle on Tuesday (March 7).

Onetime discarded coach, Chandika Hathurusingha has returned to the land that evicted him from a possible coaching job this time fully armed with a rising band of cricketers and waiting to settle an old score.

Initially the bowlers got some swing but Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque played sensibly; they took time to settle down in the middle after Soumya Sarkar was out fishing outside off stump.

The rain in Colombo yesterday prevented the Bangladesh team from doing any sort of outdoor training. A number of the players instead decided to spend their time sweating it out in the gym.

The Bangladesh national cricket team left for Sri Lanka yesterday for a long series that will last for more than a month and, truth be told, this is arguably the most prepared Bangladesh team to travel to the island nation.

Bangladesh national cricket team left Dhaka for their month long tour of Sri Lanka today.

After losing three Tests away from Home, Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim reckons that they have an opportunity to end their rut in Sri Lanka, when they leave for the island nation today, provided that the Tigers are able to give their best on the field.

Bangladesh Test captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, has described the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka as an opportunity for the Tigers to perform well away from home.

The formal training camp for the tour of Sri Lanka will begin today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Members of the Bangladesh cricket team paid homage to 'Amar Ekushey' and the International Mother Language Day today.

Ben Stokes chose Valentine's Day to send a message to England fans vowing to make them fall in love with the Test side again.

Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim and allrounder Shakib Al Hasan achieved career-high positions as batsman in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings.

Bangladesh's short tour of India may be over but they barely have any time to relax. They have returned home and will probably get a week-long break before beginning their camp for the Sri Lanka series set to begin in the first week of March.