Alex Tudor is the likely replacement for Dominic Cork in the England team to meet Sri Lanka in the second Test, which starts tomorrow at Edgbaston. Cork aggravated a groin strain in the first Test at Lord's, and has made only limited appearances for Derbyshire since.

England are also steeling themselves for the possible comeback of Sri Lanka's star bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 16 wickets at The Oval in his previous Test appearance in this country, at The Oval in 1998. However he was limited to just 14 wickets in the three-Test series that England played in Sri Lanka early last year.

"The last series was a triumph for the coach, but also for the players," said the England captain Nasser Hussain.

"There's no point giving the players stick when they don't do well, but then when they do well say well done to the coach. What he tried to do was to enforce the players' own game and their way of playing onto the situation and I think that was good coaching and good playing.

"Being over here is going to be different. In those few months and on that tour we were all brought up on spin and I'm sure a lot of our boys haven't seen that much spin this season, I know I haven't."

Hussain stressed the importance of individual players having a game plan if Muralitharan plays at Edgbaston, and expects Sri Lanka to be a powerful force whether he plays or not.

"It will all be about reinforcing the mental preparations you need if Murali or any of their spinners play," he said.

"Just because we've played him once doesn't mean we've sorted out how to play Muralitharan, otherwise he wouldn't have the wickets he's got. If he plays everyone will have to play him with their own game plan.

"What everyone has got to be reminded of is that we are playing against a formidable side with or without Muralitharan. Everyone still has that superior English complex of `we're England and we're going to beat them'.

"This is a bloody good side we're playing against and unless we're at our best, as we showed at Lord's, we will come unstuck whether Murali plays or not."

First blood has yet to be drawn in the three-Test series, England having fought back to draw the Lord's Test after following on.

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