Mark Adair wants Ireland to take a step forward in the next two weeks and progress from being competitive in Test match cricket to beating Sri Lanka in Galle and winning over the longest distance for the first time.

The Ireland fightback against Bangladesh in Dhaka earlier this month may have drawn plaudits back home but the squad saw it as a missed opportunity where a better batting performance in the first innings could have landed that first victory.

“There are only so many times you can be a plucky loser,” Adair said. “I’d prefer our fans to be disappointed with us losing rather than happy that we were competitive.”

Still new to the format, Ireland have lost all four Tests against Pakistan, Afghanistan, England and Bangladesh but have glimpsed the chance of victory a couple of times and are yet to suffer a mauling.

That could change in the picturesque setting of Galle, where the old Dutch fort provides a unique back drop to a ground where the home side boast a proud record of Test victories, many brought about by their formidable spinners.

While the days of Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath are long gone, Ireland can still expect an examination of their techniques against the turning ball.

In the absence of Josh Little, who is playing in the IPL, and the injured pair of Craig Young and Barry McCarthy, Adair will lead the seam bowling attack when the first of two Tests starts tomorrow (SUN) and he knows it will be hard work.

“The weather here has been hotter than it was in Bangladesh and a few of the lads - myself included - have found that tough in training - but we’ll be ready to go.

“Test cricket is hard. It’s hard on the body and it’s hard mentally because you have to be able to keep going and going and going, 

“But that’s the enjoyment of it, and the enjoyment of taking a wicket is probably more so than in any other form, especially when you’ve been working hard for it for many overs.”

Ireland are likely to start with the same XI from Dhaka with Andy McBrine and Ben White handed the main spin bowling roles and rested batter Paul Stirling only available for the second Test that starts at the same venue a week on Monday.

IRELAND (from): Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Murray Commins, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White.