Sri Lanka tour worry for Strauss and Harmy

Both Strauss and Harmison were awarded new central contracts - worth in excess of £200,000 - five weeks ago, indicating that Moores and Co expected them to figure strongly in England's Test plans over the next 12 months.

But the deal does not come with a guarantee and the pair could find themselves cast adrift when the squad is announced tomorrow.

Strike bowler Harmison, who had an up and down summer with both the ball and injuries, seems sure to be named in the squad but will only make the trip to Colombo if he first proves himself ready by performing well, in a couple of first-class matches for the South African domestic side Highveld Lions.

As for Middlesex opener Strauss, his participation in the three-Test series now depends purely on whether the selectors believe he is ready to score big runs again after more than a year of struggle.

His run of 14 Tests without a century, during which he has averaged only 28, might not have been such a talking point if he had finished the summer strongly with his county - he did not.

England must at least discuss rival openers, like Kent's Rob Key, or think about putting captain Michael Vaughan back up the order.

Moores confirmed earlier this week that Surrey run-machine Mark Ramprakash would be considered for a middle-order slot, more than five years after last playing Test cricket.

With England's performance squad - the A team of old - close by in India for the majority of England's stay in Sri Lanka, finding match-ready replacements in the event of injuries or poor form should not be a problem.

POSSIBLE SQUAD: Cook, Strauss, Vaughan (capt), Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Shah, Prior (wkt), Ambrose (wkt), Swann, Sidebottom, Broad, Hoggard, Anderson, Panesar, Harmison.