There are no casinos in this scenic historic corner of the island. Just as well perhaps considering the latest background scenario for what is the first Test of Sri Lanka's series against Pakistan.

There is, however, a bunch of selectors who are prepared to gamble as Muttiah Muralitharan is sidelined with a patella tendon injury and Rangana Herath as well as rookie off-spinner Suraj Kaluhalamulla drafted in to the side. Kaluhalamulla, who has changed his name from Suraj Mohammed, has been drafted in on the strength of his four wickets in the pre-Test practice game, which ended as a draw.

It is all quite a conundrum and is about as serendipitous as any you will come across. Sri Lanka are attempting to win a Test at this coastal resort with the weakest bowling attack in more than a decade with their two most senior bowlers missing.

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It depends largely on what gameplan Ashantha de Mel's selection panel are looking at, but they haven't helped their cause by snubbing Chaminda Vaas, the most experienced swing bowler in the island state's Test history. Vaas has 354 wickets in 110 games at this level and is an iconic figure among modern-day left-arm bowlers of his genre: up-front, attacking and highly dangerous in such coastal conditions as these.

Galle is a venue where because of the proximity to the sea and with cloud cover, the ball can swing around as alarming as any yo-yo. It is where it is not unusual either to see batsmen playing and missing six balls out of six. That is the art of a good swing bowler for you.

Sri Lanka are going into a Test with a new-ball attack as bereft of wickets as they are a senior bowler to guide them. It is a mistake that could well see them hammered in the first game of the series with Pakistan holding all the aces, giving them a chance to wrap up a hat-trick of Test series victories.

It is nine years since Pakistan last played Sri Lanka in a Test at this historic venue, with its imposing UNESCO designated heritage site Galle Fort as a backdrop. It was a rare defeat, but a chastening one as Pakistan scored a daunting 600 for eight, declared, with four batsmen scoring centuries. One of the four batsmen in that line-up of century-makers is the current Pakistan captain Younis Khan.

Dropped catches didn't help either as the Muttiah Muralitharan challenge was blunted with intelligent, smart footwork and strokeplay. Although he still bagged four for 138 in 50 overs and an economy rate less than three runs an over, he was rendered ineffective by the Pakistan batting tactics.

As Wasim Akram explained, such strategy as attacking the bowler turns a match-winner such as Murali into a defensive bowler as it takes away his sharp-edge ability to attack the batsmen. Akram was number four among the batsmen to put together a hundred in that innings as Pakistan won that Test by an innings and 163 runs and the game was over before tea on day four.