Strauss: It's a massive game

Andrew Strauss is confident his England team will be able to concentrate fully on Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka despite the unsettling circumstances of Michael Yardy's return home.

Yardy on Thursday became the fourth England player to start this competition but fail to finish it when he decided he could no longer give his best in his state of depression. Strauss added his support for the slow left-armer to that already voiced by the England and Wales Cricket Board and Yardy's team-mate Ravi Bopara.

The captain must also ensure, of course, that the players remaining are in the right frame of mind to do their country proud - and he has no doubt they are, saying: "It's not difficult for us to focus our minds on this game of cricket. It is a massive game. If we lose we're on the plane home; if we win we're in the semi-finals."

Strauss has been aware of Yardy's troubles for some time but did not learn they had become too much to bear on tour until Wednesday evening.

"It's desperately disappointing for him and for us as a squad not to have him here any more," he added. "It's a horrible thing for him to have to go through. I found out about it late the night before he went home.

"It's something he's been managing for a while, and there have been networks in place to help him do that. But over the last week or so, it's got too much for him.

"We are fully behind him. Obviously, we've had some previous experience of this with Marcus Trescothick - so we all know a lot more about it now and also that there are ways of managing it."

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's master off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to face England at the Premadasa Stadium.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara reported that Murali, who will retire at the end of this World Cup, has overcome a hamstring problem.

"Murali is fine to play. He's 100% okay, which is great news," he said.