England to face refereeing nemesis

But, quite rightly, Hussain and Co have shown already they will not be walked over. Gough was reported by the opposition coach for "verbally threaten-ing" two members of the Sri Lankan Colts XI during the opening match of this tour. England said their fast bowler was reacting to derogatory comments and stressed he would not be reprimanded, but "reminded all the players of their responsibilities."

Now, perhaps to show they can play the same game, the tourists have lodged an official complaint against former Test paceman Ruchira Perera following his weekend verbal altercation with Craig White in Matara.

If passions are running high now, the Test series could be especially sparky.

"I've seen none of my boys go over the top yet," said Hussain. "The batsmen have walked off and the bowlers have carried on bowling.

"Our boys have played it just about right and, come Thursday, when all the cameras are on us we shall continue to play it in that manner."

Sri Lanka have named five spinners in their squad - and at least three are expected to play. Fielders will be crowded around the bat and appeals are likely to come thick and fast. Yet the umpires are two of the least experienced on the International Cricket Council panel - Sri Lanka's Peter Manuel and India's AV Jayaprakash.

The home selectors sound confident that Muralitharan will have recovered from a groin injury in time to play.

Sri Lanka's heavy emphasis on spin suggests it is even more important that left-armer Ashley Giles makes Thursday's starting line-up. Giles sent down 19 overs during yesterday's draw with a President's XI and appeared untroubled by his recent Achilles tendon problem.