(NOTTINGHAM) Alex Tudor is hoping to exploit the absence of England's two senior bowlers to establish himself in the one-day side just in time to feature in next year's World Cup.

Fresh from his man-of-the-match performance during the final Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, when Tudor shouldered the responsibility after Andy Caddick limped out of the action with a side strain to claim match figures of 7-109, the Surrey seamer has been given the chance to impress for the first time in the limited overs format of the game.

It is a timely call-up with Caddick ruled out for a month and Darren Gough, England's most successful bowler ever in one-day international cricket, still awaiting the outcome of a specialists' verdict after suffering a recurrence of an injury to his right knee.

Their absence has opened up an opportunity for Tudor, James Kirtley and Matthew Hoggard to all make their mark during the NatWest Series, which begins on Thursday when England take on Sri Lanka under the Trent Bridge lights.

It is a daunting prospect when they consider the batting talent which both Sri Lanka and India possess, but Tudor relishes the challenge and believes it is an opportunity for the young trio to make an impression on the selectors ahead of the day when Caddick and Gough end their impressive careers.

``We're missing our two best bowlers really, but Hoggard has come in and done really well and James Kirtley's done fantastically for Sussex and deserves his opportunity,'' stressed Tudor.

``It's our chance to show the future and what it may be like after Caddick and Gough have gone - this is our big opportunity to show that given the chance we can do it.''

Yet without the collective experience of Gough and Caddick, who have both learned how to bowl tight spells when necessary, England will be hoping their young trio learn fast when confronted by strokemakers of the calibre of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana for Sri Lanka and India's Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.

Tudor, though, insisted: ``It's a great challenge for me because some of the batsmen in this series are among the best strikers of a ball in the world.

``If you want to be successful at international one-day cricket you have to learn how to bowl to these guys - you can't shy away from it. It's not going to be easy and you have to try and get the ball in the right area because the margin for error is minimal.

``In one-day cricket it's very easy to go from hero to villain and you just have to hope it's your day. I'll be watching tapes of the batsmen and sometimes you have to hope they play a false stroke because they are very attacking players.''

Tudor is almost certain to start Thursday's match alongside Kirtley and Hoggard with Andrew Flintoff, who failed to bowl in the nets at Trent Bridge on Wednesday as ``a precaution'' against the groin injury he sustained during Monday's defeat to Wales in Cardiff, expected to complete England's seam resources.

``I've been around for a while in the English set-up and it's been a bit disappointing to miss so much through injury,'' he admitted.

``I've always wanted to put a string of Test matches together and the most I've done is two and that was last year. I'm hoping that last Test will be a bit of a breakthrough for me. There was a lot of responsibility after Caddick got injured and it was a lot of hard work.

``I've never had to bowl like that before in my career, banging the ball in consistently and it takes a lot out of you. I've learnt a lot from that game and I know now that I can bowl on flat wickets.''

England's major selection dilemma seems to centre around whether to persevere with all-rounder Paul Collingwood, who played in all 16 matches during the winter and is likely to get the vote on Thursday, or opt for Yorkshire batsman Michael Vaughan.

Ronnie Irani is also expected to miss out while Ashley Giles is expected to be be chosen as the solitary spinner ahead of Jeremy Snape providing he has recovered from a slightly stiff back.

Sri Lanka, desperate to bounce back from their disappointing 2-0 Test series defeat, are clinging to the hope they can repeat their efforts of last year at home when they bounced back from losing in the Tests to trounce England 3-0 in the one-day series.

``A 2-0 scoreline is not what he had hoped for, but we've now got something we can put all our energies towards,'' admitted coach Dav Whatmore.

``All the guys like the intensity of one-day cricket and playing the one-day warm-up matches over the last week or so has helped take our minds off the Test series so we are positive about it.''

They will enter the series as a bit of an unknown quantity without prolific spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has flown home for further treatment on his shoulder and has been replaced by off-spinning all rounder Thilan Samaraweera.

Veteran wicketkeeper Kaluwitharana is expected to renew his productive opening partnership with captain Jayasuriya, which proved devastating for England in the 1996 World Cup, and relegate Kumar Sangakkara to a role of batsman only.

26 Jun, 2002