GARY Wilson has a 100 per cent record as acting Ireland Head Coach, but if that record is still intact at the end of next week, Ireland will have won their first Test match.

Wilson steps into the leading role for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which gets under way in Galle tomorrow morning (5.30am) – with Heinrich Malan taking a break back home – but is realistic to accept that the particular challenge of beating their hosts over five days will be a much tougher assignment than defeating West Indies in two one-day internationals back in January 2022 when then interim Head Coach David Ripley had Covid.

The encouraging second innings batting performance against Bangladesh in their first Test action since July 2019 sends the squad into next week’s match in good heart but, according to Wilson, this will be a different challenge again.

“The ball has traditionally spun in Galle early in Test matches, we didn’t get that in Dhaka, it was a good pitch where the bowlers had to work hard for their wickets,” Wilson stated.

“So we will have to adapt and assess conditions as best we can, be good enough to think on our feet and react on the first morning.”