The weather’s played its part nicely - a pleasant 25 at the top, dipping to 19 later on, with humidity hovering around 81%. The rain, though, has already had its say. It’s pulled the boundaries in slightly: around 62 and 65 square of the wicket, while straight down the ground stretches to about 74. That could easily have been longer had the rain stayed away. But as always, the real contest is on those 22 yards. This looks like an absolute belter for batting. There might be just a hint of movement with the brand-new ball, especially since the pitch has been under covers for a couple of days with that rain around Kandy. But once you get past that, it’s a really good surface. There’s a light, even covering of grass, a couple of small bare patches here and there, but nothing that should influence the game. I don’t see the spinners getting excessive turn and I don’t expect the quicks (bowlers) to find much sideways movement either. If you’re batting in the top order tonight - positions one, two, three, you’ll be feeling very confident.