The dreadful weather may suggest otherwise, but believe it or not it is only a week until the start of the Test summer when an understrength and unfancied West Indian side take on England at Lord’s.

Andrew Strauss and his fellow batsmen will no doubt relish the prospect of taking guard in familiar surroundings even if the pitch is likely to have more than the usual tinge of green – even for this time of year – given that the rainfall over the last few weeks has probably not been equalled since Noah first raised the anchor on the Ark.

Aside from a decision between Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan, the only real point of debate selection-wise will centre on who will bat at No.6. Let’s assess the possible runners and riders:

Mr Incumbent

The man in possession is Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel who played both Tests in Sri Lanka without exactly setting the house alight with either bat or ball. He wasn’t even trusted enough to bat at No.6 – he slotted in at seven behind Matt Prior – and a top score of 29 suggests the selectors’ hesitancy was well placed. Has batted at No.4 for Notts in the County Championship since his return from Sri Lanka, but has only passed 50 once in eight attempts.

2012 Championship record: 174 runs at 24.85

Verdict: Is neither fish nor fowl – even his own county coach has publicly doubted Patel’s credentials as a specialist Test batsman.

Mr Splinter

Patel replaced Eoin Morgan after England’s adopted Irishman endured a nightmare series against Pakistan in the UAE, which left his average from 16 Tests at a distinctly unimpressive 30.43. He could have made a case for a recall by scoring runs for Middlesex in Division One, but prioritised a stint in the IPL instead, where he has warmed the bench for Pune without making a single appearance.

2012 Championship record: Weather permitting, will have just the one opportunity to shine for Middlesex at Trent Bridge this week.

Verdict: He left it late last year by stepping off a plane from India and cracking a big hundred in the Lions game against Sri Lanka, but with his credit in the bank now expired, has surely left it too late this time.

Mr Head Lion

James Taylor will lead the Lions against West Indies this week, has a first-class average touching 50 and this writer at least was hugely impressed with his technique and guts against a fearsome Surrey attack on an Oval green top last summer. Has started quietly at Trent Bridge since his move from Leicestershire over the winter, where he is notably batting below Patel in the order.

2012 Championship record: 225 runs at 28.12

Verdict: Doesn’t have form on his side nor perhaps the fluency required to bat at six at Test level. His chance will come again.

Jonny Bairstow whips another to leg in a County Championship game against Leicestershire at Scarborough this season

Mr Orange

The carrot-headed Jonathan Bairstow seems to have overtaken Taylor as the next bright young thing and has already shown that international cricket holds no fears for him. That said, if the selectors are thinking ahead to the winter they will note his struggles against spin in the one-day series in India last autumn. Is in form, has a career average of 46 and perhaps more importantly a healthy strike rate which would make him an asset at No.6.

2012 Championship record: 357 runs at 59.50 (two hundreds)

Verdict: If the selectors are unsure whether to trust Bopara, Bairstow would seem to be next in line.

Mr Run Machine

Nick Compton has been scoring runs for fun whilst pretty much every other top order batsman has been struggling with the early-season bowler-friendly conditions. He is well on target to become the first batsman since Graeme Hick to score 1,000 first-class runs by the end of May. Has been called up to the Lions and if those famous family genes can rub off some more…

2012 Championship record: 479 runs at 119.75

Verdict: Will need to sustain his early-season form for the whole summer and in any case – like Taylor – looks more of a top four batsman rather than a No.6.

Mr Rank-Outsider

If Compton isn’t enough of an outsider, how about Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown? Hugely talented and a formidably quick scorer, RHB has struck fifties in each of Surrey’s first three Division One games – all on devilish pitches. Much ire (most of it sadly inverse snobbery) was spent when he was handed the Surrey captaincy as an utter novice, but he has swum not sunk and looks to have plenty of character to match his undoubted talent.

2012 Championship record: 284 runs at 47.33

Verdict: The likes of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had the character (if not the outstanding first-class record when first picked) to flourish at Test level – international cricket would hold no fear for Hamilton-Brown. One to watch.

Mr Unlucky

Finally, there is the favourite Ravi Bopara, who spent most of the winter carrying the drinks – he does reputedly mix a fine G&T – whilst impressing with a pair of fifties in the one-day series against Pakistan. Has scored three Test hundreds (which is one more than Morgan and Shane Watson to name but two), but needs to shake off the black cat that seems to have been following him around for the last couple of years. He was the fall-guy in the 2009 Ashes after his limitations at No.3 were horribly exposed by the Australians, was pipped at the post by Morgan last year and would have played in the Tests against Sri Lanka but for an injury which prevented him from bowling. Has his time finally come again?

2012 Championship record: 138 runs at 46.00

Verdict – Looked a class apart when scoring 117 at Headingley a few weeks back, seems a natural No.6, bowls useful seam-up and surely deserves to be the next cab off the rank. But if he gets the opportunity, will he make the most of it?

David Green is the warped mind behind The Reverse Sweep cricket blog and regards Douglas Jardine as his ultimate cricket hero. You can follow David on Twitter @TheReverseSweep

Read David’s team of FA Cup Final cricketers here

After the glorious sunshine of March, it was only a matter of time before the rain reared its ugly head! We travelled to Wormsley to play a 40 over warm-up game against the Unicorns, and while we were greeted by a beautiful ground, the same could not be said for the weather! I think it was probably the coldest day in history but despite having to battle the elements we still managed to record a pretty convincing win.

Some training days followed the Unicorns match, before travelling up to Yorkshire (which happens to also be my birthplace, a little known fact) on the Wednesday evening before the game, and I took the opportunity to catch up with some family. The first day’s play was a complete washout so I was back in bed by 2 o’clock, can’t complain about that!

The weather was better on day two (Friday) and play started on time, with us fielding first. I bowled a pretty terrible spell up the hill in the morning but managed to burgle a cheeky wicket down leg side which is always nice! I didn’t start particularly well after lunch either, losing my run up completely and bowling my first beamer of the season! I hadn’t bowled one for some time, and while I would never bowl one intentionally, some of the lads say I do have the occasional one in me!

I was much happier when I got the opportunity to bowl downhill and picked up three more wickets in quick succession to record my best figures so far, which was of course pleasing. We struggled a bit with the bat in our first innings and when I went out to bat at 140 odd for nine, most of the lads were putting their whites on and getting ready to take the field again! I can’t say I blamed them, but somehow I managed to bat with Ravi Bopara for an hour (easily my longest innings!) and face 41 balls for a majestic two runs, while Ravi scored a classy hundred. The Yorkshire lads finally realised they couldn’t get through my brick-wall defence, so instead took advantage of my not-so-switched-on running and ran me out.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t get any better and the match petered out into a draw. We were a bit disappointed with our performance overall, especially on the back of how we had played against Gloucestershire in our opening County Championship match. But we’ll take the draw and will be looking to come back hard against Northamptonshire this Thursday. In the meantime, today is a rest day for me, so a day of putting my feet up and watching TV is on the cards.

Click here to read Tymal’s debut blog entry

I’m not entirely sure what all this hysteria is about regarding Ravi Bopara’s injury, which will prevent him from bowling. Sure, he may have come in and bowled few overs to give the others a rest in draining conditions. He may even have grabbed a wicket with his medium-pacers. But that’s a far cry from suggesting the Essex man is an integral part of this England bowling attack. He’s a number six who bowls a bit, not the next Andrew Flintoff!

England’s strategy of picking four front-line bowlers has served them well, and in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka they’ll need every last one of them. I can’t see that there was ever any suggestion at all of Bopara being a much-used fifth bowler. Jonathan Trott can always come in and bowl a few overs if necessary, anyway. As for Samit Patel, he will have to wait for his chance to make his Test debut.

So, in truth, the team picks itself: Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bopara, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar. The only doubt would be Panesar, if England look at the wicket and decide there’s more there for the seamers rather than the spinners, but this is a Sri Lankan track we’re talking about so that’s highly unlikely.

Sri Lanka’s bowling line-up isn’t that great, but their batting is strong. They failed against the swinging ball over in England last summer but that won’t have come as a surprise to many because those are conditions that all subcontinental batsmen struggle in. India were no different.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, Upal Tharanga is an experienced campaigner, Dinesh Chandimal looks a real talent and both Prasanna Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera can occupy the crease for long periods.

Then there are the two monsters. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are as good as anyone in the game and have been for the last decade and a half. Other players in this Sri Lankan team have come and gone over that period but those two have been a constant presence in the side, piling on the runs against all-comers.

With Swann being a more dangerous threat to the left-handers – and therefore Sangakkara – I’m going to side with the skipper here for first innings honours and Jayawardene is the call for top bat at around 4.5.

This should be a bat first wicket. Post a big score, keep the opposition in the field for a long as possible and try to drain as much energy out of them as you can. I’ve said already that I fancy England to edge the series 1-0 but Sri Lanka look a bit over-priced to win the first Test at 3.5.

If they bat first they can post a big score and if they bowl first it’s not inconceivable that they can take a couple of early wickets whilst the England batters take some time to get accustomed to a pitch that will be very different to anything they’ve played on in recent times. I don’t think they’ll win but their price should come in at some point so they’re a good back-to-lay at the current odds.

Recommended Bets

2 points Back-to-lay Sri Lanka @ 3.5


1 point Back Mahela Jayawardene to be first innings top scorer @ 4.5

TFI Friday as Chris Evans would say. It’s been another hectic week in the AOC office, but at least the latest issue has landed safely in our laps. It’s been a week of meetings (including some exciting plans for the next mag), eating (birthday cake) and cheating (eating before drinking). Talking of which, it’s just about time for a pint, isn’t it?

Lesson 1: The proof is in the, er, hair
Australia’s cricketers will be subjected to hair sampling in an effort to guard against illicit substance use. According to Fox Sports, the Australian Cricketers Association and Cricket Australia have agreed a 12-month trial, and the procedure will begin once new state and national contracts become effective on July 1. With Shane Warne’s history of ‘diet pill malfunctions’, he may want to think about giving Advanced Hair Studio the heave ho!

Lesson 2: Sam’s Chicken sponsor the England cricket team…
… at least according to a Photoshopped poster in their Tooting store. Either way, both Ravi Bopara and Monty Panesar were on hand to ensure that the launch of the new branch was a night to remember. In my case, I’ll remember it for six pieces of criminally over-seasoned poultry and a greasy handshake with ‘the Puppy’.

Lesson 3: It helps to have a famous dad
Both Jamie Hoddle (son of Glenn) and Liam Gough (son of Darren) have been recruited to the MCC Young Cricketers squad for 2012. It will be a tough year for Jamie, who endured an injury-plagued 2011. Does his Dad not have Eileen Drewery’s number anymore?

Lesson 4: Mario’s super
Our new Sandwich Man, Mario Rosseau [sic], speaks like he’s reading for a part in a Dolmio advert. He could sell sand to the Arabs… and does sell samosas to our editor.

Click here to find out what AOC learnt last week

Amidst all the rightful clamour to proclaim Ali Cook the best pound-for-pound English batsman of his time, his old running mate slipped in under the radar with his own modest statement.

Ravi Bopara made two run-a-ball-ish fifties to graft an extra layer of Essex rock to Cook’s granite hundreds. He did what he had to do, which is often the hardest thing of all. It’s a push to say his knocks were as significant as Cook’s because as England captain in a format in which many have questioned his suitability the stakes are that much higher.

But just as Cook, as ever, was taking hold of those stakes and ramming them where the sun rarely shines, Bopara was gently nudging the English cricket public to suspend their ambivalence and go instead with a kind of cautiously renewed faith.

There was faith in him in the summer of 2009, possibly too much of it, as it turned out. Shunted in at No.3 against Australia on the back of three effortlessly beautiful hundreds against West Indies, he flickered briefly at Lord’s, got a couple of dodgy decisions elsewhere and was finally released after four degenerative Tests. England went with Jonathan Trott at The Oval, and that was that.

Bopara wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. But it hit him hard. When a batsman fails, it looks bad. When a strokemaker fails, especially a strokemaker with a street-strut, it looks bloody awful. For Bopara, that summer was an almighty bummer, and the following year drifted past in a wave of anti-climax.

But any doubts about his mettle were suspended at the start of the 2011 spring, when he turned down the chance of another run at the IPL to concentrate on grafting away in April for Essex. With Paul Collingwood’s Test retirement he’d spied a spot at No.6 and so got his head down in first-class cricket as Eoin Morgan swanned off to India to thrash it about a bit for lots and lots of money. Smart moves both.

It didn’t quite work out for Bopara. Despite playing some scintillating innings for Essex, Morgan got the nod at No.6 and he was only drafted in for the final two Tests of the summer in place of the injured Trott to watch on from the balcony as England’s top-order made hay against the Indians.

Still, in January he packed his bags for the UAE as England’s first reserve – a consolation prize, a backing of sorts – and then spent three weeks counting his credits as others, notably Morgan, mislaid theirs. And now’s he’s got the gig at No.4 in the ODI side – further backing.

Where it goes now, only time will tell. But Ravi could always play. Wrists, flair, time, an air of youthful studied nonchalance. But there was a problem. In amongst all the beauty and the promise, and perhaps because of it, Bopara, just like early-era Ian Bell, always seemed to be battling the suspicion that here was a great – at least greatly gifted – batsman when what was required was merely a reliably good one. It’s like that dismissive old line about the film director Jean-Luc Godard only making great movies when what the public really want are a few good ones.

At the end of it all, it’s runs. Just runs. They’re all that count. He first came to our attention as a 20-year-old in 2005. That freakish summer saw the touring Australians spend a couple of days in Chelmsford getting the run-around from two young kids. Ravi Bopara – Puppy to his teammates – was one of them, plucking at the heartstrings with 136 of the silkiest, cheekiest runs imaginable.

But Ravi didn’t get the girl. Because at the other end, rather less sexily but with the trappings and prospects already preternaturally developed, stood a 21-year-old called Alastair Cook. He made 201.

Click here to read Phil Walker’s consoling words to Ian Bell

The Stone Roses have done it. So have the Inspiral Carpets. And now the Happy Mondays have put aside their musical differences, Zimmer frames and freedom passes and announced their reformation along with a clutch of new tour dates and festival appearances.

Critics will doubtless claim these bands have no chance of recapturing their former glory and that reforming is a cynical ploy to rake in some dough – and they’re probably right. But as I peeked out from behind the sofa and watched on in anguish as England turned what should have been a very gettable run-chase into the equivalent of an ascent on Everest without oxygen, Sherpas or a discernible plan, I pondered how reformation, renewal and even resurrection would look if applied to the current England batting unit.

Even Andy Flower confessed that England’s batsmen look all at sea against quality spin in Asia, and the stats support him. In matches against India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Asia, Kevin Pietersen averages just 29.54 from 13 Tests, Ian Bell 31.60 from the same number of games and Andrew Strauss 35.35 from nine Tests – with only Alastair Cook (40.64 from nine Tests) of the current top six having a creditable average. Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan are experiencing their first taste of Test cricket in Asia on this tour – it’s not been a pleasant one.

For Morgan it has proved particularly painful, with Geoff Boycott commenting that, “when he comes in, I daren’t go for a pee because I know I’ll miss him”.  England’s limited-overs supremo might suffer the axe after his struggles but his replacement Ravi Bopara faced a nightmare of his own against Sri Lanka’s spinners in 2007, leaving England with a headache ahead of two Asian tours before the turn of the year with no aspirin in sight.

So, back to our theme of reformation, renewal and resurrection. Given the chance, which former England batsmen would we restore to their prime to take the place of England’s top six for the third Test in Dubai and the rest of their Asian adventures in 2012? Having waved the magic wand, I’ve come up with the following:

1) Marcus Trescothick
Test record in Asia against India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan: 15 Tests, 1,100 runs @ 37.93
Other England openers have better records in Asia, but the Somerset skipper’s ability to attack the spinners proved a boon on England’s last triumphant tours of Asia to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000/01 and would surely counter the inertia witnessed in the second innings in Abu Dhabi.

2) Geoff Boycott
8 Tests, 706 runs @ 58.83
Picking Boycs would not only get him out of the commentary box, but his dour accumulation and the fact he is a right-hander would be the perfect complement to Trescothick’s aggression. In any case, he’s told TMS listeners he could take runs off Saeed Ajmal and co with a stick of rhubarb; imagine what he could do with a bat!

3) David Gower
16 Tests, 1,138 runs @ 56.90
Starred against Pakistan’s legspin maestro Abdul Qadir in the 80s and another former great who could teach the current crop a thing or two about batting positively against high-class spin with a top-drawer sweep shot and the ability to play the ball as late as possible.

4) Ken Barrington
8 Tests, 903 runs @ 90.30
No England batsman in history can match his average or tally of four hundreds in Asia and, like Misbah-ul-Haq, Barrington understood that if you are going to block, you need to do so with purpose so as not to relinquish the initiative to the bowler.

5) Graham Thorpe
10 Tests, 821 runs @ 48.29
The Surrey left-hander mastered Muralitharan in his own backyard and almost single-handedly led England to a famous series win in 2001. When boundaries were scarce, Thorpe understood the importance of maneuvering singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

6) Ian Botham
9 Tests, 599 runs @ 49.91, 35 wickets @ 26.31
Not only would his bowling ensure England could always play two spinners in Asia, but he’d also have the opportunity to reprise one of the greatest all-round performances in the history of the game. In the Golden Jubilee Test of 1980 against India, Beefy took 6-58 and 7/48, and smashed 114 for good measure, as England won by an innings.

Whimsy though this is, this top six and the four-man bowling attack that performed so well in Abu Dhabi would finally leave England with a team capable of beating Asia’s big three in their own backyard. In their absence England fans will have to put up with more chastening defeats before the year has run its course unless the current batting unit can find an answer to their spin demons.

David Green is the warped mind behind The Reverse Sweep cricket blog and regards Douglas Jardine as his ultimate cricket hero. You can follow David on Twitter @TheReverseSweep

Click here to read David’s account of Pakistan’s rollercoaster ride

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*THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*

When not playing for England, for which county does Ravi Bopara play?

A) Middlesex

B) Essex

C) Surrey

Entries close on December 12 at 12 noon GMT. 

Having started his tenure as ODI skipper in Alastair Cook in superb fashion, the England opener has been subjected to the rather harsher side of captaincy in the world champions’ backyard.

Cook is by no means the first captain to suffer at the hands of India on their home patch – in fact no England captain since David Gower in 1985 can boast a limited-overs series win on Indian soil – but the tourists have been brought back down to earth with an almighty thud and questions have been raised about the long-term future of several players in the limited-overs set-up.

While the Test squad appears set in stone, the ODI squad remains anything but and several of the 15-man touring party still have plenty to do to prove they have what it takes to make the grade as international cricketers. Here’s a look at a three of those names that are starting to feel the heat…

Craig Kieswetter

The Somerset keeper-batsman has shown glimpses of his undoubted talent but 27 matches into his ODI career he is yet to fully convince at international level, having reached three figures on just one occasion, and that effort was against a weak Bangladesh attack. With Jonny Bairstow in the side and not keeping wicket, is there still space for Kieswetter?

Ravi Bopara

Bopara’s innings of 96 against India at Lord’s was seen as a potential watershed moment in his stop-start England career but he’s failed to kick-on in India, with no significant score to show for his efforts. His useful dibbly-dobblers have kept Ian Bell out of the side to date in this series but is it worth sacrificing arguably England’s most talented batsman for the sake of a few overs here and there?

Jade Dernbach

The Surrey paceman has found the going particularly tough on the subcontinent, taking just one wicket for 168 in three matches before losing his place in Mumbai. Having made such an impressive start to his international career, this tour has highlighted that Dernbach still has a lot to learn at this level. Will he learn from this experience and fight his way back, or were we a little hasty in labelling him ‘the next big thing’?

All Out Cricket has teamed up sports forum 606 v2 to discuss the game with thousands of like-minded cricket fans. To debate this article and hundreds of other topics, check out 606 v2 today.

It was a frustrating day for all concerned on day one of the fourth Test at The Oval, with only 26 overs of play possible before rain curtailed proceedings. Frustrating for England’s batsmen, who were stopped in their tracks by persistent drizzle in gloomy south London. Frustrating for a capacity crowd, who had turned out in their droves to see the newly crowned top ranked Test nation in action only to witness the very dampest of squibs. And presumably frustrating for an Indian bowling attack that produced another insipid display and barely managed to break the 80mph barrier as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook eased their way to 75-0 by lunch.

One man more frustrated than most will have been Ravi Bopara, who must have felt time slipping away as he watched the rainfall with his place on England’s winter tours hanging by a thread. He was a beneficiary of England’s commitment to consistency in selection when he was selected for the third Test at Edgbaston after Jonathan Trott was ruled out with a shoulder injury – and it is hard to criticise that policy given the fantastic results it has produced – but he surely needs to make a significant contribution at The Oval to remain in his role as ‘batsman in waiting’ with a host of talented youngsters breathing down his neck.

Statistics weren’t in Bopara’s favour when it came to choosing Trott’s replacement. A Championship batting average of 40.84 against mediocre second division bowling attacks doesn’t compare favourably with his nearest rivals Leicestershire’s James Taylor (54.55) or Jonny Bairstow at Yorkshire (49.88), who have both also produced outstanding performances for the Lions this season. But Geoff Miller and the panel of selectors stuck with their ‘next cab off the rank’ policy and, perhaps swayed by the commitment to the cause he demonstrated by turning down a lucrative IPL contract in April, recalled the Essex right-hander for his first Test match since England’s capitulation at Headingley in the 2009 Ashes.

In truth, he was on a hiding to nothing in Birmingham coming to the crease as he did at 596-4. Any runs he did score would have been cheapened by the match situation while a low score would add further weight to claims that he doesn’t cut the mustard at Test level. Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Ravi. While Taylor was further enhancing his reputation with a century in a limited-overs fixture against Sri Lanka A, Bopara was rapped on the pads by Amit Mishra and sent on his way for just seven.

With Trott still not fit to resume at The Oval, Bopara has another opportunity to prove his Test credentials – it’s no longer England’s style to chop and change from one match to the next – but he is running out of chances. At 26, it would be premature to call time on Bopara’s Test career even if he fails in this Test but with younger men like Taylor and Bairstow pressing hard and exciting prospects such as Ben Stokes and Alex Hales waiting in the wings, he needs runs, and he needs them now.

In his 11 Tests matches to date Bopara has only passed 35 three times and on each occasion he’s gone on to register a century. If he gets a start against India, he may well need to continue that record to book his seat on the plane this winter.

Consistency was the name of the game for England’s selectors when Geoff Miller announced the squad for the first Test in Cardiff, beginning on Thursday.

Eoin pipped Ravi at the post for the No.6 slot (we agree, plenty don’t) after producing a timely 193 for England Lions against Sri Lanka last week in his first first-class innings since December, and just his second in nine months.

Bopara can consider himself a touch unfortunate to miss out after turning down a lucrative IPL contract and scoring consecutive Championship centuries against Glamorgan and Derbyshire, but a first-class average this season of 45.09 against modest Division Two attacks mounted a strong case, but not a compelling one.

Meanwhile, Morgan’s been having sporadic slogs for Kolkata Knight Riders with minimal success (137 runs in nine innings) and admitted he was ready to return to the IPL should he miss out in the race to replace Paul Collingwood, leading many to suggest he had slipped down the pecking order.

But in his still-fledgling career the maverick left-hander has shown an appetite for the big occasion, as demonstrated in his Test audition at Derby against the tourists, and England stuck with their next-cab-off-the-rank policy, giving Morgan the nod after the Irishman acted as batting back-up during the Ashes. He will now surely be given a whole series to nail down his Test spot before India arrive.

Steven Finn is another who has benefited from a selection policy with consistency at its heart after a mixed bag of a winter that saw him dropped from England’s Ashes XI, despite leading the wicket-taking charts, after proving expensive and struggling for fitness. The Middlesex beanpole held off competition from Ajmal Shahzad, Graham Onions and Surrey paceman Jade Dernbach but is likely to miss the final cut, with Anderson, Tremlett, Broad and Swann set to form a four-man attack.

Sri Lanka are performing the role of warm-up act before Dhoni and his team of world-beaters swagger into town, but England will do well not to underestimate a side ranked No.4 in the ICC Test Rankings and containing some of the world game’s great talents.

Last time Sri Lanka toured England back in 2006, Muttiah Muralitharan inspired Sri Lanka to victory at Trent Bridge to draw the Test series 1-1 before the tourists dished out a 5-0 whitewash in the ODIs. The great man is now gone, along with fellow stalwarts Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas, and England rightly start the three-match series as favourites, but Andrew Strauss will be expecting a much sterner test than England encountered on home soil against Bangladesh and Pakistan last summer.

With crowd pleasers such as Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene in their ranks, whatever the score, it should make for some entertaining viewing.