Sri Lanka rely to heavily on Murali

And it is the inability of their seamers to succeed on harder wickets which is a key factor in their depressing away form.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is a potential match-winner on almost any surface, and left-armer Chaminda Vaas is a dependable new ball bowler.

But to thrive in countries like South Africa and Australia, their attack needs the extra dimension offered by a bowler of Fernando's hostility.

Ringing the changes

The selectors have tried numerous seam bowling options in recent years, but none of the alternatives can match Fernando in terms of pace or the ability to achieve unsettling lift.

Having come through junior representative ranks, he made his Test debut as a 20-year-old against Pakistan two and a half years ago.

But injuries and lapses in form have restricted him to just 12 further appearances since then.

Fernando's bowling action needs some refinement

A record of 33 wickets at a cost of 38.42 runs each is nothing to shout about, but when everything clicks for Fernando as it did at Centurion, he can be a real handful.

He took five for 98 in only his second Test appearance aagainst South Africa at Durban in December 2000.

And he bettered that in August 2001 with five for 42 on home soil at Galle to help his side to a 10-wicket win.

Still only 23, Sri Lanka hope the best is yet to come from Fernando.

Fine tuning an action which sees him fall away in the delivery stride would help him achieve greater accuracy.

But with the Sri Lankan Board urging club groundsmen on the island to produce quicker wickets, it is clear where their priorities lie.

Bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake said last year: "I feel that a 20 per cent improvement can still be made through further fine tuning to his front arm and run-up and that he will then be a fully fledged fast bowler in the class of McGrath and Gillespie."

If Fernando achieves 50 per cent of the success of Australia's new ball pair, Sri Lanka can only be stronger for it.