Darren Gough Photo CricInfo

Sri Lanka can be a fast bowler's graveyard. The weather is invariably hot and humid while the pitches, designed to aid a plethora of spin bowlers, are usually of little help to speed merchants.

But England's Darren Gough, who had to work hard for his ten wickets on the slow turners in Pakistan at the end of last year, is looking forward to the challenge ahead with relish.

The 30-year-old with 183 Test wickets to his name flies out with the rest of the squad at the end of this month, keen to build on successive series victories against Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan.

He said: "It's going to be a hard tour, especially after winning in Pakistan. Sri Lanka have got a good side.

"The conditions are going to be hot, and they haven't got as good a seam attack as Pakistan so the pitches will probably turn even more because they will rely almost totally on spin. It's going to be a challenge but it's one we're all looking forward to."

He added: "It's the only place I've never been. I've gone to India and Pakistan, and it can be hard work. I know you've got to be fit and I've been working hard on my fitness.

"I've been told that Sri Lanka is probably the hardest place to tour conditions-wise because it's hot, humid and difficult to bowl long spells.

"It's going to be hard. We haven't got too carried away with our success, and the most important thing is to compete. If we compete we've got a chance of winning.

"The Pakistan series went down to the last ball. It just shows that if you compete and stay in the game anything can happen - because cricket's a funny old game."

Looking ahead to the Ashes series in the summer, Gough said: "Australia have won 15 Tests matches in a row, so I don't think anybody is expecting us to win. All the public want is a good, hard-fought series - and as long as they get that I'm sure they'll be happy.

"It would be great to win the Ashes. It's something we all dream of, but they will take some stopping. We just need to keep improving. If we compete - and that's the big word - you never know what could happen.

"The aim has to be to ruffle their feathers. We've got the bowling attack to do that, and you need five batsmen to be at the top of their game too. They need to be when they are facing Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne.

"Everyone will be fired up for it. It's the biggest series you can play in, and everyone still remembers 1981 when Botham turned the match at Headingley."

Although Gough is enjoying the success he is finding with England, the down side is that he has few opportunities to play for his beloved Yorkshire, particularly since the introduction of the central contracts system.

The situation is thrown sharply into focus as this is his benefit year after 12 years at the county.

He played only three County Championship matches last summer but said: "What can you do? It's not my fault I can't play for Yorkshire. It's the system but it's the right system because it keeps the players fresh and fit. The results prove that, and everyone wants to play for England.

"I love representing Yorkshire. But you can't do two things at once, and I think 99 per cent of the people in Yorkshire understand that and know that when I play for England I am still representing my county.

"No one can ever accuse me of not trying for Yorkshire. I always try my hardest and I want to finish my career having had success with Yorkshire."

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