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To say that everything is ticketyboo and going according to plan for world one-day champions Sri Lanka as they prepare to defend the World Cup, maybe to some, sound as an understatement. But it's true.

Nothing would have been more gratifying than to see the world champs working so hard at practice to achieve what only one country in the history of the World Cup has accomplished - to retain the title. West Indies under the captaincy of Clive Lloyd won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979.

As much as Hansie Cronje, the captain of South Africa, the tournament favourites is keen to win it (''I don't think I will be around in 2003, so this is the last chance''), so is Arjuna Ranatunga, for whom and several others in his side, this World Cup will be the last hurrah before most of them bow out of international cricket.

Sri Lanka's build up to the World Cup began with three warm-up matches against moderate opponents whom they soundly thrashed out of sight. The result was not what mattered, but how the players approached the games and acclimatised themselves to the variable conditions. They were positive in everything they did.

Marvan Atapattu ended a lean trot in international cricket by reeling off centuries in the first and third matches batting at No. 3, and Hashan Tillekeratne too showed early form completing two successive fifties. Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, the elder statemen of Sri Lanka cricket, were also in the runs but not in a big way.

Of the bowlers to impress were fast bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Erik Upashantha and off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan. Pramodya Wickremasinghe was one of the few casualties suffering from sore throat and fever.

``The players are more or less well settled, but we will know how settled we are in the three practice county games where we expect better opposition than what we have encountered so far,'' said Sri Lanka team manager Duleep Mendis.

The first of these matches against Northamptonshire where the team is based takes place at Northampton tomorrow.

Sri Lanka have tried out one or two different batting combinations, and will settle down to a regular pattern in the last two county matches against Nottinghamshire on May 9 and against Leicestershire on May 11.

``We want to ensure that everyone is comfortable in the positions they bat,'' said Mendis.

Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga said that he was planning to play all the batsmen in the three matches with changes being made only in the bowling line-up.

``The county bowling sides are relatively stronger than what we have encountered so far. That is one reason we want to expose all our top order batsmen,'' said Ranatunga.

``Although these are warm-up matches it would be good for our morale if we can win them,'' he said.

With the white Duke ball expected to swing more prodigiously than the standard red one, Sri Lanka may not be able to score at a rapid rate in the initial 15 overs as they have done on sub-continent pitches. They might have to change over to the more conventional method of run making in limited-over cricket by keeping their wickets intact for an assault in the final 15 overs when the ball would have by then lost its shine and with it, the swing.

Cronje has threatened to let loose his prime fast bowler Allan Donald to ``knock Sri Lanka over if they send in pinch-hitters up front''.

But having said that, one has only to look at Sri Lanka's record in England last year to see how they keep defying the odds. In the Emirates trophy triangular against South Africa and England, Sri Lanka ran up totals of 102/3, 67/4 and 82/1 in the first 15 overs when Duke balls were in use, and went onto win the competition.

For the first time in three tournaments, Sri Lanka are likely to be at full strength with Sanath Jayasuriya, Muthiah Muralitharan, Ranatunga and De Silva having recovered from various injuries. The very presence of these players, all of whom can turn a match single-handedly, will be a morale booster for the team whose recent form at international level have been rather disappointing.

The fielding department continues to show vast improvement under Australian Trevor Chappell and Mendis is extremely happy the way things have turned out so far on the tour.

He praised the efforts made by UK-based Sri Lankan businessman Sarath Abeysundera for providing the initial facilities at Leicester where the Sri Lankans were based when they arrived in England nearly a fortnight ago.

The weather so far has been very kind with bright sunshine and blue skies and not a hint of rain anywhere about, although forecast for the weekend is not so rosy.