Cook looks to steady England ship

Back in the days when England used to take the boat to Australia, it was common to stop off in Ceylon. In 1882, Ivo Bligh's team disembarked from their ship to play in the country now known as Sri Lanka, on their way to the very first back-to-back Ashes contest. Modern travel arrangements being what they are, Alastair Cook and his players will get to spend Christmas at home before heading to next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but, in one sense, Sri Lanka remains a staging post.

In the port city of Colombo, England will seek refuge from the storm. Possibly literal as well as metaphorical, given that Sri Lanka's monsoon season is lingering like an impertinent question about Cook's suitability for the one-day captaincy. That, at least as far as England are concerned, is not an issue up for discussion. But, having battened down the hatches against criticism of their 50-over game, they are keen to present a good account of themselves over the next three weeks.

Seven-match ODI series might seem like overindulgence but England need all the practice they can get. Winning over any sort of distance has been the problem recently - Cook was last in charge for a bilateral win in New Zealand 21 months ago - and the memory of 6-1 defeats against Australia in 2009 and 2010-11 might have caused those England fans who have made the trip to pull their sou'westers a little tighter on landing.

The rain has already washed away more than half of England's practice time, although it held off on Tuesday as both teams were able to train at the Premadasa, venue for four of the ODIs. The one D/L-shortened match they did manage on Friday allowed England to deploy Moeen Ali at the top of the order - something of a surprise gambit but one backed up by an uninhibited, 21-ball fifty. Cook also made a half-century but much of the side will begin the series light on cricket, having played little since September.

"It's not ideal at all," Cook said. "When you're playing a side as good as Sri Lanka in their own conditions you want more game time, only two batters have really had any middle time in a game situation but that is the modern way. Everyone in nets looks really good but we all know it's very different to being out in the game, being under pressure. The lads have trained fantastically well but that counts for nothing in terms of how we're going to go tomorrow.

"It's a really exciting place to be as a side because I think we've made some really good progress in this week and a half. It's very different to the one-day cricket we've played recently at the back-end of Test series, where you can't dedicate too much time to skill work because of the physical demands, certainly on the bowlers. The guys look fresh but the crux of the matter is how we pull up tomorrow. We've talked a good game so far, in meetings and the nets. I could not ask for any more effort."

The prospect of a potentially shortened game means England have not settled on their line-up. Cook said that Moeen would open, although if the contest was reduced to the minimum of 20 overs per side, England have the No. 3-ranked T20 batsman in Alex Hales to call upon. Only the fourth and seventh ODIs do not have the provision for reserve days but the first priority will be to complete the match on the scheduled day, with the overspill only being used to finish things off under the revised overs.

"We're a little bit uncertain, as both sides would be, with the conditions and the reserve days - there's a little bit of confusion there," Cook said. "It's slightly different, with the threat of weather and shortened games, things might change on the day. We're going to have to be flexible."

Cook's task in turning around the supertanker of underachievement that is England's record in 50-over cricket would be onerous enough without having to battle the elements as well. Sri Lanka is not a part of the world where England have a good record - although Cook was involved in their only series victory here, under Paul Collingwood in 2007 - but while the chances of the captain evolving into Virender Sehwag before the World Cup remain slim, there is an opportunity to start lashing together some driftwood before the next leg of the winter, a tri-series with Australia and India.

Quite apart from the World Cup, where England and Sri Lanka will meet again in Wellington in March, Cook's team should need little extra motivation. In particular, Jos Buttler and Joe Root might still feel some hot-eared indignation about Sri Lanka's visit to England earlier this year, Mankaded and sledged respectively as the touring side won all three series. They are two of the brighter young talents England can call on and impressing in between the squalls would help set them up for the southern summer. Others, such as Moeen and Ben Stokes, will seek confirmation of their utility. England haven't quite missed their boat yet.