It is amazing how much can change in two years.

When Sri Lanka last came to England two years ago I was part of their coaching set up for what turned out to be a memorable Test series.

I'd like to think I played my part in helping the tourists clinch what was their first series victory on these shores in such dramatic fashion.

My emotions were torn when Shaminda Eranga dismissed Jimmy Anderson off the penultimate ball at Headingley. I was delighted to have contributed to such a significant milestone in Sri Lankan cricket but as a patriotic Englishman I always hate seeing the national team lose.

This time I'm not involved in any capacity so will be getting right behind Alistair Cook and the boys as they bid to take another step in the rebuilding process which probably can be traced all the way back to that defeat to Sri Lanka.

My old Sussex coach Peter Moores in charge of England in 2014 and Cook was under extreme pressure for his position as captain. Fast forward two years and Moores is long gone and Cook is very much back in favour having become the first Englishman to reach 10,000 Test runs.

New coach Trevor Bayliss has set about putting together an exciting young team which is brimming with potential but is definitely not the finished article yet.

There are only five survivors from that defeat at Headingley in the current Test side and with the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow proving their quality at the highest level the future looks bright.

I love the youthful look of the team and am delighted that James Vince is being given an opportunity but would have preferred to see Jake Ball handed a Test debut as well. As he's in the squad why not play him?

Hopefully he'll get a chance during the summer as I still think we are perhaps a bit too slow in giving the best young players a chance to show what they can do when we compare it to other countries.

And when we do play them we must show patience. If Vince fails to make any runs in the two Tests against Sri Lanka we must keep the faith and stick with him for the series against Pakistan.

England will start the series as big favourites to gain revenge against a Sri Lanka side which has gone through an even more drastic rebuilding process over the last two years.

It was a pleasure working with the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga and players of that calibre have proved very hard to replace indeed.

Graham Ford - my predecessor as Surrey coach - is the man charged with moulding a new team around the experienced Angelo Matthews and the dangerous left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

Whose my money on? Well England should win but if Sri Lanka are brave in their batting and Herath can cause problems in the second innings then it could be another hard-fought series.