“We have got to be a lot more fearless and braver, and also smarter”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes that the national team will receive a major confidence boost ahead of the 2015 World Cup if they are able to beat Sri Lanka during their upcoming tour of the country.

However, the national team will have to adjust their gameplan when playing in Sri Lanka since the pitch and weather conditions are very different in comparison to England.

“If we beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka then we can take a lot of confidence from that,” Ali told Sky Sports. “And I think playing one-day cricket before the Australia and India series, and the World Cup, then we have a lot of one-day cricket until the start of the tournament and I think no matter where you play, or who you are playing against, the build-up to a major event is going to benefit us.”

However, despite the different conditions, Ali firmly believes England can beat Sri Lanka if they maintain a positive mindset throughout the seven-match ODI series.

“It’s going to take a bit of a mindset change,” he said. “We have got to be a lot more fearless and braver, and also smarter.

“We’ve obviously always tried our best but we have struggled a little bit. With this break we have just had we have got together a few times and it’s been very beneficial for all of us.

“It’s going to take a lot, don’t get me wrong, so we need to be smart with our batting, bowling and fielding. Hopefully you will see that in Sri Lanka.”