CAPTAIN Andrew Strauss wants to use England’s tour of Sri Lanka to draw a line under the side’s Test troubles against Pakistan last month. Despite being ranked number one in the world, Strauss’ side were whitewashed 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates and were asked some searching questions about both technique and preparation.
The limited-overs squad successfully turned things around with victories in the ODI and Twenty20 series, and Strauss said: “One of the real advantages of international cricket is it always gives you the chance to move on.”
He added: “The guys in the one-day team will have moved on from the Pakistan Test series pretty quickly and now it’s an opportunity for the Test squad to move on from what happened.
“We’re still very confident in our abilities, still confident that we’ve got as good a side as any in the world and we have the chance to show that in the next two Test matches.
“This has the potential to be a really good opportunity to make some strides forward in this part of the world and we’re determined to take it.
“In the two warm-up matches before the first Test we really need to hit the ground running and get our methods in place.
“There’s a good buzz about the squad and there’s some momentum from the one-dayers against Pakistan that we need to take out on the pitch.” (PA Sport)