Moores demands more

Peter Moores wants no let up from England © Getty Images

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To watch the full exclusive interview with Peter Moores on ECBtv, click here.

England coach Peter Moores is determined that his side will not be taking their foot of the gas in the fifth and final one-day international with Sri Lanka on Saturday.

England came from 1-0 down to win the next three matches and claim their first major one-day series victory on the sub-continent for 20 years and their first in history in Sri Lanka.

The final match is at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo before they fly home for a month off but they will return for an equally tough assignment with a three-Test series starting in December.

Moores told ECBtv: “They have practised hard today (Friday) and I think the message is there that they want to finish on a winning note.

“It is a big challenge because we know it is a good Sri Lankan team - we will have to play well to win. The forecast is to be hot again. It is a great chance to learn and improve. The lads have won the series and gone up in the rankings - so everything is going in the right direction.

“It (Sri Lanka) is a tough place to come to and to win the series 3-1 is great and we are very keen to make it 4-1 on Saturday. It is mainly to do with the way the side has adapted. We were well beaten in the first game - that was a tough day at the office.

“We had to go away and look at what we were doing - the bowlers especially had to go away and look at their lines - their lines and lengths and slower balls.

“It has been hard for the batters especially in Dambulla where it was skiddy - this Premadasa pitch has been easier, but they also have adapted their games.

“We are trying to adapt an honest open attitude to feedback and that is the aim of most teams - this team has done that over here.

“The Test series is going to be tough but we have seen the conditions first hand, we have spoken to other players we have got the stats so we know it will be hard.

“What we can take away from this series is that if you get together and work hard you can come to places like this and win.

“We will go home and have a training camp and Michael Vaughan will become involved and it will be a new challenge when we return."

England's new managing director Hugh Morris

England’s all-year round playing schedule has always been tough on the players but Moores is keen to stress the importance playing for England is to the team.

He continued: “The one thing I want to make clear is that although the schedule is busy the lads are very much up for it and they certainly do not use it as an excuse - there will be no lack of commitment.

“We have seen Hugh Morris, the new MD of English cricket, come out here and he has made sure that the scheduling will be packaged right for the future.

“Some things have been written about Kevin Pietersen but he works as hard as anyone at his game and the boys are really up for the challenge of those schedules and are very proud of playing for their country.

“We do not want to be misunderstood and we are very proud to represent our country and because of that the lads will always give their utmost and that is what they are doing at the moment.

“We just take the schedule as it comes, we know we have one more game here and then we will come back in a month’s time for what will be a tough Test match series."