Sri Lanka have threatened to abandon the pinch-hitting strategy which took them to World Cup glory in 1996.

Coach Dav Whatmore, now in charge at Lancashire, masterminded the strategy which saw the Sri Lankan openers set a hot pace at the start of their innings.

"But with the ball moving around so much, it may not be right to go for the shots from the start," said team manager Duleep Mendis.

"It could be wise to build the innings and keep wickets in hand. The idea is to put up a big score."

The Sri Lankans, taking advantage of the slow wickets in the Indian subcontinent during the last World Cup, ran up scores of 100-plus in the first 15 overs when field restrictions were in force.

Their top-order batsmen, lefthander Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Aravinda De Silva, were encouraged to attack from the start and regularly seized the initiative. The cold, seaming conditions of England, however, have prompted a rethink for Arjuna Ranatunga's men, with batsmen urged to take fewer risks early on before going for their strokes.

Sri Lanka take on Leicestershire today.

Walker Ground, home to Southgate Cricket Club, is the setting for Middlesex's meeting with South Africa. The 150-year-old venue is now an out ground for Middlesex and it also staged yesterday's meeting between the county and Bangladesh.

Sachin Tendulkar, widely touted as the best batsman in the world going into the World Cup, has his last chance to get some runs in the build-up when India take on Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

The warm-up matches have been frustrating to date for Tendulkar, who was out for four at Leicestershire and did not get any practice against Yorkshire as Sunday's clash was called off.

Zimbabwe also need some time at the crease after their five-wicket defeat by Derbyshire on Sunday. Alistair Campbell's men now face Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Kenya, four-wicket winners at Gloucestershire on Sunday, will be Zimbabwe's first opponents in the World Cup in a match that neither side can afford to lose if they want to progress to the Super Six stage.

The Kenyans, who are 250-1 to win the tournament, meet Glamorgan at Cardiff today.