Bopara facing the heat

Ravi Bopara tries to cool down during training in Colombo

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Ravi Bopara admits that the hot and humid conditions in Sri Lanka shocked him when he arrived for the one-day international tour - something which he is determined to put right this time around.

The all-rounder spent the time in between the two tours working hard on his fitness, to ensure he was more physically prepared for the change in temperature.

“It was a good period for me, myself, to get fitter and to be in even better condition for the second time of coming out here,” he told ECBtv.

“People had said it was hot, humid and hard to breathe, but I didn’t believe it. I just thought I would find out for myself.

“When I got out here, it hit me like an oven. But I got used to it pretty quickly. Your body is amazing in the way it adapts.”

Fitness is seen as a key way of ensuring a sportsman is able to cope in extremes of temperature, with cricketers one of the main beneficiaries, often having to be on the field for long stretches of time.

“You have to be fit because it really does take it out of you,” Bopara admitted. “Running up and down - just running twos and threes - does you, and you need a couple of minutes to recover.

“You have to be in the fittest condition you can possibly be in for you to succeed.”

England trained at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough before jetting off to Sri Lanka, and then spent the first few days acclimatising with several training and fitness sessions.

Graeme Swann pours water on his face to stop sweating

“We have had two days of practice and it has been pretty warm,” Bopara added, a couple of days after they arrived in the subcontinent.

“We have done some fitness during cricket stuff to make it as realistic as we can, as if we were in a match.

“Coming back after training we have been jumping in the pool, which is really important for all of the lads’ recovery.

“We have worked very hard over these last few days. It has been tough, which is good because we are improving every time.”

Sri Lanka are great competitors, especially on their own plot, and Bopara is taking nothing for granted after England beat them 3-2 in the one-day international series.

“They are fighters,” the 22-year-old said. “They have got a lot of unorthodox cricketers, such as Murali - who is very different to any other off-spinner.

“He is a tough man to play against. He wouldn’t be the best bowler in the world if he was easy to play.

I wouldn’t say he was an aggressive player. He goes about his business in his own way, but he has got something special. He doesn’t need to be in your face.”

Lasith Malinga is a dangerous cricketer © Getty Images

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But Muttiah Muralitharan is not Sri Lanka’s only weapon, with fast bowling spearhead Lasith Malinga also posing a significant threat.

“And you have got Malinga as well - who else has got an action like that? I regard them as dangerous cricketers,” Bopara confirmed.

“They are a good team, they gel as a team, and they are very good when they are on top.

“I suppose the key for us is to never let them get on top, get them down and try burying them.”

The pitches and conditions should suit the diminutive Bopara’s style of play, however, and he is hoping he will get a chance to prove that by making his Test debut on the tour.

“It is not that different to places like India,” he said. “Both being in the subcontinent they prepare their pitches in the same way.

“It didn’t turn as much as I thought it might during the one-dayers, but I suppose on the last day of a Test it does turn a lot more.

“I do play quite well against spin. I regard myself as a wristy sort of player.

“I don’t know how the Test pitches are going to be, so I shall wait and see and have a proper look.

“Hopefully my skills and the way I adapt should help me.”