Chris Adams hoped to soften up the Sri Lankans a bit before they start their one-day campaign against England.

Instead, in a rain-curtailed Twenty20 against Adams' PCA Masters XI yesterday, the tourists learnt a few handy lessons about the shortest form of the game.

And skipper Mahela Jayawardene added his name to the likes of Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith as an overseas skipper who has delighted spectators at the West Sussex ground.

Jayawardene's 79 off 35 balls was the highlight of the 16 overs that were possible.

The Sri Lankans certainly looked far from Twenty20 novices as they paced their innings to perfection.

Assistant coach Trevor Penney said: "Our players have not had a lot of Twenty20. It's a different game and they have certainly come to the party.

"I think Mahela got everybody going when he got out there first ball and charged down the wicket. That was just what we needed.

"This Twenty20 teaches you can play your shots. Sometimes you can look after your wicket a bit too much in one-day cricket. It was a good exercise."

Other than the Sri Lanka batsmen, though, yesterday's challenge match did not offer a lot of cheer as the heatwave turned into a grey, chilly, wet evening before the eyes of 3,000 or so disbelieving cricket fans.

Sri Lanka made 180-3 in their hour at the crease.

In fact the players, led by PCA skipper Adams, and umpires did well to last that long.

They kept the spirit of Twenty20 alive by playing on for several overs in rain which would have spelt the end for any other form of cricket before it all got too much.

Coming in after Sri Lanka had made an uncertain start of 12-1, Jayawardene displayed a fabulous array of attacking strokes, hitting 12 fours and two sixes.

But we never got chance to see what the PCA Masters, including Adams, Matt Prior and Murray Goodwin from the host county, could do in return.

Prior was spared wicketkeeping duties, with former West Indies skipper Jimmy Adams taking the gloves.

Adams the keeper picked up a routine catch off Chris Lewis to dismiss Chamara Kapugedera in the fourth over.

It took the tourists 15 balls to score their first boundary, a crisp cover drive by Chamara Kapugedera off Vasbert Drakes.

But they plundered 21 off Chris Lewis' third over, 16 of them by opener Sanath Jayasuriya, including a six clipped off his legs over mid-wicket.

Jayasuriya and Jayawardene added 83 in six overs for the second wicket.

The tourists' skipper was dropped on the cover boundary by Lewis off Dimitri Mascarenhas just after completing a 24-ball half-century, though he was 'caught' by a spectator in the next over as he lofted Shaun Udal over long-on for six. Udal got his man in the end but it was starting to get farcical by then.