Cricket: England's test to come in Sri Lanka

England A's young collection of players yesterday departed from Kenya leaving behind the impression that they could fulfil their potential and become the nucleus of their country's Test side in the coming years.

The 14-strong party, nine of which are under 21, left for Sri Lanka after rain washed out their third and final one-day international against Kenya on Saturday. Rain had also depleted their practice time during their 12- day stay in Nairobi.

Graham Gooch, the tour manager, said that the real challenge would come once they began their three-Test series against their Sri Lankan counterparts. "This tour has served a good purpose, even though a lot of the cricket has been rained off," Gooch said. "They have got to know each other, they've gelled together well and they have proved they have an amount of ability. How things go in the next seven weeks will be the test. We'll see how they shape up under different conditions and under more pressure in Sri Lanka.

"We are trying see what sort of characters they are and how they shape up. They have obviously got a lot of ability but it takes more than that to succeed at the top level."

- Myles Hodgson

Nairobi