Moores backs Bell to shine

Warwickshire batsman Bell has been promoted to number three on this tour of Sri Lanka and despite batting with fluency in the two Tests to date, the 25-year-old has not been able to address an inability to translate half-centuries into three figures overseas - on 11 occasions now he has passed 50 but has only celebrated a hundred once.

"I think he is growing really quickly as a cricketer," Moores said. "Making this move from a good player to something very special."

Two of Bell's four dismissals to champion off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan have been self-inflicted but Moores is taking a positive view going into the final Test next Tuesday.

"In Colombo he made a mistake with his option, which is fine," Moores said.

"He played beautifully again, he has played Murali really well and is scoring runs. He is on that journey to convert those into bigger scores and has really started to show a level of maturity we want."

England must win in the historic Test at Galle, the first since the tsunami of December 2004 decimated the old ground, or give up their established position of second in the official International Cricket Council rankings.

Michael Vaughan's team will slip to as low as fifth unless they secure a 1-1 draw, having won just two series in seven prior to this trip.

"We desperately want to stay up those rankings," said Moores. "But the immediate thing is to win Test matches in series you're playing in. That effects your ranking. It is an indicator of where you're at at any given time."

Unseasonal rain has left the Galle groundstaff facing a race against time to get the re-built stadium ready for the start on Tuesday morning. The latest deluge left much of the playing area under water on Friday while the boundary perimeter has grass on one side and thick mud on the other.