Sri Lankan players offer advice to England

Muttiah Muralitharan has suggested that England will need to be more aggressive against him if they are to overturn the loss of the First Test to win the series in Sri Lanka.

"They have to start playing positively rather than just padding up to me. You can't win a game by only getting 170 to 180 runs in a day, you have to try and score 230 to 250," Muralitharan who bowled 97 overs in the First Test, taking 7-145 in all, said.

"They have to be more aggressive when they are facing me and try and play shots rather than just coming forward and sticking the bat behind the pads," he continued.

Of course on dry pitches that aid Muralitharan's already prodigious spin, England have little option but to employ a safety-first approach. The tourists are probably mindful of Muralitharan's importance in the Sri Lankan attack, and will be looking to score more heavily from the other bowlers.

Another of Sri Lanka's Test heroes, batsman Aravinda de Silva, has expressed surprise that England have declined the opportunity for a three-day game in between the Galle and Kandy Tests.

"It's surprised me that they aren't playing in the three-day match because I would have thought the batsmen would have wanted as long as possible at the wicket so they can get used to it," he said.

However, he praised the English performance, and suggested that they will improve as they acclimatise further to Sri Lankan conditions. "I thought they batted much better than I expected in the Test," he said. "I'm sure with more time out here and once they get used to the conditions they will get much better."

However, England captain Nasser Hussain expressed the belief that his team had the right approach.

"Cricket-wise there is not a lot else we can do," he commented. "You're not going to find another Muralitharan out there and most people are playing pretty well."

Certainly losing the toss was a disadvantage in the first game, and England didn't have the 'rub of the green' with some umpiring decisions. Hussain is confident that a period of rest will be beneficial for the players, though, and that they will emerge in a fresh condition for the second Test.

"Mentally we need to draw a line under the first Test and maybe the next few days will enable us do that. We're carrying a few injuries and it's more important that we get them sorted out before the next Test," he said.