The tour is still very much on at this stage, although Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting are keen to keep the party away from both Colombo and Kandy until after the 50th anniversary of independence on Feb 4.
Both cities will remain obvious targets for further bombings by the terrorists who, according to the British High Commission here, want to score a publicity coup by getting Prince Charles to cancel his four-day visit to the island on Feb 3.
If he does, the English Cricket Board may feel uneasy about England A remaining, although High Commissioner David Tatham told Gooch, Gatting and Nick Knight when they saw him yesterday the players should not consider themselves targets.
During the last World Cup, when West Indies and Australia refused to play in Sri Lanka, the terrorists insisted it would not benefit them to target sportsmen. The only danger to England A would appear to be if they were caught in a bomb blast.
Whatever happens, England will leave Colombo a day early on Wednesday, heading either for the proposed venue for Friday's first unofficial Test, Kurunegala (an hour from Kandy) or the sanctity of the south coast.
That will depend on the Sri Lankan board, whose chief executive, Dhammika Ranatunga, said he would do whatever possible to reassure England after Gooch asked for a swap of venues. That would probably mean the venues for the second and third Tests would be switched, with Kandy staging the third on Feb 18, and Matara (on the south coast) the second during Independence Day celebrations.
Gooch stressed that he wanted to keep the tour ``on track. But we must keep their board and the team happy. The guys are concerned and edgy about the situation.''
The side did not let their apprehension affect their performance yesterday, at least in the field where they bowled and, in particular, caught well. Chris Read, in his first performance in Sri Lanka, held four catches and Andrew Flintoff took a beauty at short leg to dismiss Manoj Mendis.
Flintoff, 20, looked a class act in his 83, made over nearly 3.5 hours. He fell without addition yesterday morning, caught at first slip off a useful outswinger, as England lost their last six wickets for 47 to the second new ball on a pitch still lively after starting damp.
It also turned, with Ashley Giles maintaining his good early tour form. Another of the six Ranatunga brothers, Sanjeewa, survived for five hours for his unbeaten 87.