Some eye-catching performances in the long line of first-class county games will ensure them a place in the pool of 20 which the national selectors have in mind to pick shortly after the team returns, in preparation for next year's World Cup which will also be held in England.
As Sri Lanka are the current one-day champions in this type of game, a lot of emphasis has been laid on the current tour to produce a team worthy to defend the title.
In that aspect, only nine of the 18 members have toured England before - skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, his deputy Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Hashan Tillekeratne, Chandika Hathurusingha, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Muthiah Muralitharan.
For Ranatunga, who is the longest serving international cricketer today, having made his debut as far back as February 1982, this is the first occasion he is leading his country on a tour to England.
Ranatunga first toured England under Duleep Mendis in 1984, and went as vice-captain to Ranjan Madugalle in 1988. He was not picked for the tour of the counties in 1990 and missed out on the last tour in 1991 on disciplinary grounds. On the last two occasions, de Silva took over the leadership to England.
Thus, the present tour will be of special significance to Ranatunga, who has led his country to all other Test-playing nations, but not to the country that produced the game.
In the absence of Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa, who are recovering from leg injuries, this is the chance for raw bowlers like Suresh Perera and Mario Villavarayen to force themselves into the limelight with good performances in the country games. Unlike the slow pitches at home, they will find English conditions helpful for swing bowling provided they bowl a full length and proper line.
Vaas and Zoysa are expected to recover from their respective injuries and figure in the matches agaisnt South Africa 'A' at home and convince the selectors of their fitness to return to the international arena.
If they are fit, there is a likelihood of them being sent to England for the triangular series and the one-off Test which on this occasion breaks away from past tradition and is moved from the headquarters of cricket Lord's to the Kennington Oval, also in London. The three previous one-off Tests in 1984, 1988 and 1991 took place at Lord's.
Sri Lanka open their seven-week tour with a one-day game against Hampshire at Southampton on Sunday before getting down to the serious business of tackling the counties in first-class fixtures starting with Somerset at Taunton on Tuesday.
The rest of the fixtures: July 18-20: v Glamorgan at Cardiff, July 22 v Worcestershire at Worcester, July 24-27: v Leicestershire at Leicester, July 31-Aug 3: v Middlesex at Lord's, Aug. 5: v ECB XI at Lakenham, Aug. 7: v Northamptonshire at Northampton, Aug. 9: v Northamptonshire at Milton Keynes, Aug. 11: v Kent at Canterbury or Lancashire at Old Trafford or Warwickshire at Edgbaston (depending on NatWest trophy qualifying matches).
Triangular Tournament: Aug. 14: v South Africa at Trent Bridge, Aug. 16: v England at Lord's, Aug 18: England v South Africa at Edgbaston, Aug. 20: Final at Lord's, Aug. 22-24: v Hampshire at Southampton, Aug. 27-31: v England (one-off Test) at the Oval, Sep. 3 - Departure.