Online edition of Sunday Observer

LONDON, April 22 (AP) - The Sri Lankan cricket team arrived in England on Friday with a new captain for its 10-week tour comprising three Tests, a twenty20 international and five one-day matches.

Sri Lankan cricket captain Mahela Jayawardene smiles during a press conference at the team hotel in London, Friday April 21, 2006. (AP)

Top-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene assumed the captaincy after a back injury forced regular skipper Marvan Atapattu out.

"Marvan and I have been a partnership for quite some time now, so our thinking is in the same direction," Jayawardene said. "It is a temporary thing for me to take the team."

Wrist-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, with 611 Test wickets to be second on the all-time list, and left-arm quick Chaminda Vaas will ensure Sri Lanka's bowling attack is formidable. But with former captain Sanath Jayasuriya retired from Test cricket and Atapattu out, its batting lineup looks weaker. "We know it is a period that we have to rebuild," Jayawardene said.

Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, front center, is helped during the strech out exercises at net practice at Lord’s, London, Friday April 21, 2006. The Sri Lankan team arrived in London Friday and will play a series of Test and One Day International matches against England during their tour.(AP)

Sri Lanka's Australian coach, Tom Moody, said that the squad's relative inexperience of playing overseas - where its record is unimpressive - could be an advantage.

"We've got a lot of fresh faces on this particular trip who haven't experienced the issues related to playing away from home," Moody said. "Now is a good time to set the record straight away from home.

"We're in a transitional time as a team - we've had retirements, the injuries of a couple of key players. It is important in both forms of the game that we prepare the next generations."

Sri Lanka will play four practice matches before the first Test at Lord's from May 11-15. The second Test is May 25-29 at Edgbaston, Birmingham; and the third is June 2-6 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Zoyssa, left, looks on as Muttiah Muralitharan, right, bowls during the net practice at Lords, London, Friday April 21, 2006. (AP)

Moody said Sri Lanka would use the five one-day matches to test players ahead of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

"We are planning, obviously, in one-day cricket toward 2007, and there are certain players that are being earmarked as players that are going to play a key role in that campaign," Moody said.