James Anderson predicts England will whitewash Sri Lanka 3-0 ahead of summer Test series

England's fast-bowling lynchpin James Anderson has admitted that he was crushed the last time Sri Lanka toured England, while predicting a 3-0 whitewash in favour of the home side when the two nations meet this summer.

Sri Lanka secured a famous 1-0 series win in 2014, with Anderson in the thick of action as he tried to prevent the visitors from bowling England out at Headingley, only to be dismissed with just two balls remaining in the Test.

That dismissal helped the island nation win their first overseas tour in England, of which saw the home team bowlers break down in front of the crowd. "It was right up there with my worst moments. It had been a long game and to get within two balls of saving it left me crushed at the end. Hopefully we won't be in that situation again", said Anderson, as quoted by DailyMail.

The highest wicket-taker in England cricket history with 433 wickets, the pacer is confident that there will not be a repeat of events. This confidence is based on the way the team fought back after the Ashes whitewash in 2013-2014, with the Three Lions on the rise in terms of rankings.

"If we build on how we played in the winter then there is no doubt we can win 3-0. Home confidence against a rebuilding Sri Lanka provides us a great opportunity for us but it's important we concentrate on ourselves. If we do get everything right then there is no doubt in my mind we'll win," the 33-year-old said.

"I'd like to go on for a bit longer. I've spoken to a few people about coming towards the end and everyone says to keep going for as long as you possibly can because you miss it so much when you can't.

"This team has got endless amounts of potential. It's frightening really, it's incredible for instance that someone like Jos Buttler is not in the Test team. To have players like that trying to get back in makes this a really good place for English cricket," he stressed.