The Management had given each member of the party the option of flying back from Colombo with five weeks of the tour still to run.

Crucial to the decision to continue was the Sri Lankan Board's agreement to move the second unofficial Test from Kandy to Matara, with the venue for the third also likely to be on the safe south coast.

Graham Gooch, tour manager, has arranged to discuss a rescheduled itinerary with Dhammika Ranatunga, the Sri Lankan Board chief executive, today.

The second Test is due to start on Feb 6, two days after the 50th anniversary of Independence Day, and it was felt that the major celebrations planned in Kandy would make the city an obvious target for further terrorist attacks.

England A, who are captained by Nick Knight, are due to leave Colombo tomorrow for Kurunegala, venue for Friday's first Test, and they may not return to Colombo, the other main terrorist target, until the end of the tour.

More than half the party expressed severe reservations during the day about continuing the tour, but they were talked around by those wanting to stay.

The main England tour party in the West Indies are still waiting for a venue confirmation for the third Test. Political unrest in Guyana has raised doubts about the suitability of Georgetown on Feb 27-March 3.