England captain Nasser Hussain warned that England will have to work much harder in Sri Lanka if they are to extend the revival they began with three consecutive series victories in 2000. The team flies out to Colombo today.

"It's a very difficult challenge," said Hussain. "They are a tough side - it's a great place to go on holiday but a hard place to play cricket. Places like Colombo are hotter and more humid than Pakistan. The Sri Lankans are noisy round the bat and the crowds are hostile."

Sri Lanka have just gone down to a 2-0 defeat in South Africa, and Hussain agreed that this wasn't to England's disadvantage. "Mentally they will be a little deflated and they may have the selectors and the press on their case.

"But it won't have that much impact on the cricket. In South Africa they were playing on hard wickets that suited quick bowlers. Conditions in Sri Lanka will be like Pakistan but more so - the wickets will be slower and turn more.

Sri Lanka's last Test against England was at The Oval in 1998. Although England posted a first innings total of 445, Sri Lanka eventually won by 10 wickets with Muttiah Muralitharan taking 16 for 220. He'll be eager to add to his tally in the coming series, and Hussain has a healthy respect for him.

"He's a great bowler and could end up as the greatest Test bowler of all time. I know it's a cliche but people must play him as they see him. If guys want to get rid of the four fielders around the bat by attacking him that's fine, but if they are confident in their defence they can play him that way.

Hussain believes that England have learned from their historic win in Pakistan in December. "People said before we went to Pakistan that we couldn't play spin but we coped with Saqlain. But just because we've played three Tests on the sub-continent in the last 15 years doesn't make us experts."

Hussain and England coach Duncan Fletcher have been widely credited with being the architects of England's recent revival. But Hussain himself had a different explanation. "It's all about individuals - Michael Atherton batting for six hours, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and the youthful energy of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick."

Hussain was also full of praise for all-rounder Craig White. "He's got two strings to his bow - three if you include his fielding. His ability to reverse swing the old ball at 90 miles per hour is a great asset for any captain."

England's tour of Sri Lanka includes three Test Matches and three One-Day Internationals.

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