The R Premadasa Stadium, where Sri Lanka take on India on Saturday, is an example of it. Of the 84 matches played here, the country’s biggest cricket venue has seen just seven scores of 300 or more, the last one being made by Pakistan against India in the Asia Cup in July 2004.

As another dry wicket awaits the two teams, there’s little to hint there will be a change in the script. Not surprisingly, Dhoni feels 250 will be the ideal score. “Whenever I have played here, especially the last time (India defended 254 against the hosts), it was difficult for the teams chasing. There’s something in the wicket, if we get the new ball count, then it’s tough in the middle overs. If it behaves the same way tomorrow, anything over 250 will be very difficult to get,” says the Indian captain.

Mahela Jayawardene agrees. “The ball seams a bit in the evening and I don’t know how things will go in the evening, so let’s see what happens,” he says.

So why is Sri Lanka not preparing batsman-friendly wickets? The lack of clay content is being cited as one of the main reasons. Besides, there’s a lot of movement in the air that helps the bowlers to generate some lateral movement.

With the Sri Lankan team struggling to find a sponsor, the onus is on the board to prepare pitches that can help get the entertainment quotient back.