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Andy Flower insists the England team are excited ahead of the start of their ICC Champions Trophy campaign, even after an exhausting summer.
The team arrived in South Africa following a 6-1 NatWest Series thrashing at the hands of Australia with just two days to adjust to the high altitude.
Despite this, team manager Flower insists the squad are raring to go and will be grateful for the change of scenery when they face Sri Lanka in their opening Group B fixture on Friday.
England will be boosted by the availability of Luke Wright and Stuart Broad after the pair missed the end of the series against Australia through injury.
Exciting
"We have had a long, hard summer back home, so getting out here and playing in the tournament, with the best players in the world is very exciting for everyone," he said.
"We are looking forward to that challenge. There is no trouble at all getting the players up for this tournament.
"Being here and feeling the buzz about it, and looking forward to a couple of wins to get us through to the semi-finals is exciting for everyone."
Having come up against Australia's plethora of pacemen, England's batsmen will now have to deal with the threat of two world-class spinners.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were both crucial in Sri Lanka's stunning victory over South Africa in the opening match of the tournament.
"It proved a tough series against Australia but the Sri Lankans will put forward a completely different challenge." added Flower.
Mendis threat
While they have seen plenty of Muralitharan, England's only previous encounter with Mendis came during a net session two years ago.
The 24-year-old has quickly emerged as a potent weapon for his country, taking 71 one-day international wickets at just 15 runs apiece.
"It doesn't matter how much you watch him on TV," said Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss. "It's one thing picking what the balls are, it's another thing to hit it.
"He's only been with us for under two years and he has come a long way in a short period of time."
Despite this, team manager Flower insists the squad are raring to go and will be grateful for the change of scenery when they face Sri Lanka in their opening Group B fixture on Friday.
England will be boosted by the availability of Luke Wright and Stuart Broad after the pair missed the end of the series against Australia through injury.
Exciting
"We have had a long, hard summer back home, so getting out here and playing in the tournament, with the best players in the world is very exciting for everyone," he said.
"We are looking forward to that challenge. There is no trouble at all getting the players up for this tournament.
"Being here and feeling the buzz about it, and looking forward to a couple of wins to get us through to the semi-finals is exciting for everyone."
Having come up against Australia's plethora of pacemen, England's batsmen will now have to deal with the threat of two world-class spinners.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were both crucial in Sri Lanka's stunning victory over South Africa in the opening match of the tournament.
"It proved a tough series against Australia but the Sri Lankans will put forward a completely different challenge." added Flower.
Mendis threat
While they have seen plenty of Muralitharan, England's only previous encounter with Mendis came during a net session two years ago.
The 24-year-old has quickly emerged as a potent weapon for his country, taking 71 one-day international wickets at just 15 runs apiece.
"It doesn't matter how much you watch him on TV," said Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss. "It's one thing picking what the balls are, it's another thing to hit it.
"He's only been with us for under two years and he has come a long way in a short period of time."
Source: www.skysports.com
Let's watch who will be the winner...
