Black Caps all-rounder Glenn Phillips admits Galle International Stadium presents a daunting proposition for visiting teams — not limited to unfamiliar local playing conditions.
New Zealand have never won in four previous Test visits to the Sri Lankan coastal city, known as a spinner's paradise, but perhaps most famous for the historic fort that stands within sight of the cricket venue.
These intoxicating surroundings will provide the backdrop to New Zealand's opening Test against the Lions, beginning Wednesday, as they try to consolidate their standing in the World Test Championship, where they currently sit third.
Phillips concedes it's hard not to be distracted by the structure, begun by the Portuguese and completed by the Dutch in the 16th and 17th centuries.
New Zealand open their series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. (Source: Supplied)
"The fort is a really cool landmark to have in the background," he said. "I have to make sure I'm watching the ball, instead of looking at the fort every five seconds, but for me, it will be a really cool place to play and another one to tick off the bucket list."
The pitch itself has traditionally favoured homegrown spin bowlers, although Kiwi left-armer Ajaz Patel had a five-wicket bag (5/89) last time the Black Caps visited there in 2019, a match that ended in a six-wicket victory to the hosts.
"I think it's fabulous," said Phillips, whose part-time spin has become a valuable complement to his aggression with the bat."
"It looks like a pretty fast outfield and nice big boundaries, which is really nice from a spin perspective, and the pitch looks really good at the moment, so we'll see how it ends up playing.
"We're probably expecting it to play a little lower than Bangladesh or India would, so we're trying to adjust our plans and potentially work on a bit of pace changing as well. We'll get out there and bowl one ball at a time, and adjust our plans from there."
Phillips, 27, showed his worth with the ball in Bangladesh last year, taking 4/53 in the first innings of first-Test defeat, and 3/31 to help the tourists to a first-innings lead in a second-Test victory. His patience with the bat (87 and 40 not out) in trying conditions saw him named man of the match in the win.
"From a test match perspective, being able to contribute in both halves of the game is really important to me and to give back to the team as much as possible in both facets," he said. "I'm really looking forward to getting out there with both ball and bat."
To assist their transition to local conditions, New Zealand have recruited Sri Lanka great Rangana Herath, who took 433 wickets for his country over a nine-year Test career — second only behind world recordholder Muthiah Muralidaran (800) among Sir Lankan bowlers.
Herath has a special affinity with Galle, with nearly a quarter of his Test wickets (102) coming from 19 appearances at the ground.
"It's great to be back in Galle," he said. "To be honest, it's one of my favourite venues."
Herath is overseeing the preparation of the Kiwi spinners, a unit that includes Phillips, Patel, Mitch Santner and Michael Bracewell.
"What I see from them, they are very experienced guys," he said. "They have an understanding of their roles, as well as things that need to be done on this kind of surface.
"Whatever happens, we need to stick with our basics, we need to start from zero.
"Especially in Galle, what I see in the first two days, we will get an equal surface, but when the Test goes into the third and fourth days, I'm sure there will be some assistance for the spinners."
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