Captain Andrew Strauss wants to use England's tour of Sri Lanka to draw a line under the side's Test troubles against Pakistan last month.

Despite being ranked number one in the world, Strauss' side were whitewashed 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates and were asked some searching questions about both technique and preparation.

The limited-overs squad turned things around with victories in the ODI and Twenty20 series and now Strauss - one of a handful of Test specialists on the Sri Lanka trip - wants to put things right in the longer format.

He was one of seven players to head out a week earlier than the main group in a bid to acclimatise to scorching conditions and work on some of the batting problems that had surfaced in the UAE.

With that groundwork done, the tour starts in earnest with today's warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board XI.

"One of the real advantages of international cricket is it always gives you the chance to move on," he said.

"The guys in the one-day team will have moved on from the Pakistan Test series quickly and it's an opportunity for the Test squad to move on from what happened.

"We're still very confident in our abilities, still confident that we've got as good a side as any in the world and we have the chance to show that in the next two Test matches.

"This has the potential to be a really good opportunity to make some strides forward in this part of the world and we're determined to take it.

"In the two warm-up matches before the first Test we really need to hit the ground running and get our methods in place.

"There's a good buzz about the squad and there's some momentum from the one-dayers against Pakistan that we need to take out on the pitch."

England's main decision ahead of the Test series is who will replace the axed Eoin Morgan at number six.

Ravi Bopara was the spare batsman in the UAE but he is under pressure from the uncapped Samit Patel, whose left-arm spin makes him a tempting option in turning conditions.

Both could play today as team director Andy Flower looks to make his decision, while seamer Steven Finn could also get the opportunity to build on his efforts in the one-day side in recent months.