Things are hotting up for England players

England's fitness regime for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka has led to the players taking on a more rotund appearance.

But their growing girth has nothing to do with putting on the pounds - but pulling on winter woollies instead.

To try to get accustomed to the tremendous heat and humidity in Sri Lanka, England's players have been wearing two or three jumpers since the start of January.

Captain Nasser Hussain said: "Going from minus five temperatures to the heat and humidity in Colombo is going to be very interesting. It's going to be very hard work for all of us to get acclimatised."

And Michael Atherton backed up his skipper's warning. "Experience with Young England in 1987 and England, briefly, in 1993 tells me that conditions will be far more testing in Colombo than they were in Karachi," he said.

"For a start it will be much hotter. Sri Lanka is probably the hottest place I have played Test cricket and, with its high humidity, one of the most uncomfortable."

England fly out from Heathrow for the three-Test series and three One-Day Internationals next Tuesday.