It's slow learning for England's bowlers

Monday's convincing 119-run defeat in the opener of the five-match series highlighted the need for England to develop changes of pace and slower balls, which the Sri Lankan seamers used to dismiss the tourists for 150 in only 34.5 overs.

It prompted captain Paul Collingwood to underline the need to learn new skills if England are to challenge for the next World Cup being held on the unconducive wickets of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in 2011.

The job of teaching the skills required has fallen to temporary bowling coach Ottis Gibson, who has taken over the role rejected by Allan Donald while he considers other offers from Durham to continue playing and waits for news of an application to become West Indies' full coach.

It is a major challenge over such a short space of time to teach such a complicated skill, which Sri Lanka's seamers have spent four years developing, but it is one Gibson insists England's bowlers must embrace if they are to trouble Sri Lanka's batsmen.

He admitted: "It's a big ask, but this is international cricket. You are seen as the best bowlers in the country and learning has to take place quite quickly.

"You haven't got six months of a county season to learn and the guys know that. What I've found since I've been here is that they've been very receptive to new ideas and quite willing to try things out.

"My job is get them confident in the things they are going to try in the nets. It's not something you can practice today and walk up tomorrow and do - it's something you have to practice over a long period of time.

"They have all got a slower ball but to get them better where it's not noticeable like a (Dilhara) Fernando they will have to work on it more. It's like all your skills - your stock ball you need to practice if you're going to get it better."

Gibson learned how to develop slower ball deliveries during his formative years as a cricketer playing club cricket in Barbados alongside Franklyn Stephenson, the man regarded as developing one of the best slower balls in cricket history.

Stephenson's looping delivery confused so many batsmen he claims it earned him around a quarter of his career wickets for Barbados, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Sussex after learning the delivery in the Lancashire leagues.

England do not have the luxury of developing them in such circumstances, but Gibson does not believe it is beyond them - they just need to practice them more.

"In England most wickets you play one-day cricket on will help you, it will nip around a bit so you don't need to bowl slower balls," conceded Gibson.

"What I've tried to say to the boys is that we need to practice these things. We might never use them and we might practice four different slower balls and then tomorrow night the ball might nip around a bit and we won't need them.

"It's using the conditions that are available to you on a given day and the Sri Lankans did well by using the slower balls.

"We're getting better all the time as well, we're trying new things and practising new things to make sure when we go into the middle again our fast bowling kit bag has got all these different skills in."

England's batsmen are also facing a steep learning curve with analyst Mark Garaway attempting to discover signs which might tip them off that a slower ball is coming using video analysis of Monday's defeat.

"The whole deception of the slower ball is making sure your arm speed stays the same," explained Gibson. "You don't give the batsman clues about what's coming.

"Fernando bowls a fantastic slower ball and we've sat down and looked at the video and try to see how he does it. If we can spot it early, if we can see it before he lets it go, it gives us a better chance of dealing with it when it comes out."

While Gibson attempts to develop new skills among England's squad, he has put all decisions about his future on hold.

After claiming 80 championships wickets at the age of 38, a season which earned him the Professional Cricketers' Association player-of-the-year award, he admits he is tempted to carry on for one more year of county cricket.

But he admitted: "I'm going to be a year older next year, the body is going to be a little more tired so I'll cross all those bridges when I come to them.

"I've spent the last two years working with Peter Moores. Last winter I was in Australia with him with the National Academy so he knows me quite well. He knows how I operate, I know how he operates and how he likes things done."

England look set to name the same side that were humbled on Monday with Graeme Swann's superior batting ability expected to keep out left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.