Intro:

England captain Alastair Cook looks ahead to the seven-match One Day International tour of Sri Lanka.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Alastair Cook, England captain:
(on the importance of the tour to Sri Lanka)

"I think it's a very important tour. We all know it's a really hard place to go and win one-day cricket, I think England have won one series in Sri Lanka -- I think that was in 2008 -- so we know the challenge ahead of us. We have seven matches as well, so that's quite a long series and to win that series, we've got to play some very consistent cricket as well, something which we haven't always done in the past in one-day cricket, but we've had the last couple of weeks together as a team and we're really excited by that challenge, to go out to Sri Lanka and really test ourselves. And we know the prize at the end of that -- a place at the World Cup in Australia."

SOUNDBITE (English) Alastair Cook, England captain (on what England have to do to improve in the 50-over format):

"Well, we have to... the last couple of series, we haven't won the series. We do have to improve the way we play. I don't think it needs a radical change in method, but what I do know is we need, you know... I've been light of runs at the top of the order for 12 months, but in the times before that, when I scored heavily, at the top of the order, we got really good totals. So to me, it's down to every single individual player, playing to the peak of their... trying to get to the peak of their potential. Then we have a real good chance at the World Cup."