Collingwood draws on experience

Paul Collingwood leads an England side with experience of the Twenty20 Cup and this season's Indian Premier League

Paul Collingwood will take advantage of all the Twenty20 expertise his England squad possesses as they plot to win the World Twenty20 on home soil.

Captain Collingwood leads a 15-man party that includes five players previously uncapped at international Twenty20 level: James Foster, Rob Key, Eoin Morgan and Graham Napier were originally selected, while Adil Rashid has since been called up as a replacement for the injured Andrew Flintoff.

The quintet were selected on the back of fine domestic form in the Twenty20 Cup last season. Napier’s 2008 performances, most memorably his 152 against Sussex, earned him an Indian Premier League contract.

There he gained valuable experience of cricket’s shortest form, along with Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Dimitri Mascarenhas and Flintoff.

Although Flintoff will miss the World Twenty20 as he continues to recover from knee surgery, the IPL experience England’s players gained can only benefit them in June’s competition.

This, combined with the nous of the domestic stars - notably Kent skipper Key, leaves Collingwood with a Twenty20 brains trust at his disposal.

“We’re going to tap into all the players who have done very well at Twenty20 cricket,” revealed Collingwood.

“I mean all the guys who have been over in the IPL as well. I think it’s essential that we tap into all the ideas and all the different attitudes towards the game, have everybody’s experience.

“Keysey is a guy who will play at the top of the order and hopefully do exactly what he does for Kent. He plays proper cricket shots, he’s very experienced in that kind of situation.”

Key is a candidate to open the batting, while Foster will keep wicket as the only specialist in the 15-man squad.

Morgan’s unconventional batting style will pose a headache to opposing bowlers and Napier’s destructive hitting, combined with accurate seam bowling, make him a significant threat.

“Whether you call them Twenty20 specialists or whatever, I think they’ve been successful at Twenty20 cricket but they’ve also been successful at other forms of the game,” Collingwood said.

“It’s an exciting squad. The likes of Keysey coming in, James Foster the wicketkeeper coming in, Eoin Morgan, Napier.

Rob Key led Kent to 2007 Twenty20 Cup glory and runners-up spot last season

“They’re exciting Twenty20 cricketers and I’m sure what they’ve got is experience in that form of the game as well, domestically, and hopefully they can take that into the international form of the game.

“It’s slightly different in some ways but I’m sure that experience will help us a hell of a lot.”

Collingwood, like his England team-mates, had limited opportunities in the IPL through a combination of time constraints and the four-foreigner rule.

The 33-year-old did not appear for Delhi Daredevils during a fortnight-long stint, largely due to the form of Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, but considers the time spent with such Twenty20 specialists invaluable.

“It’s been excellent to be involved in the IPL,” he continued. “I wish a lot of the bowlers had the opportunity to go over there. Although I wasn’t playing I still felt I learnt a hell of a lot going over there.

“I spoke to Ravi on the plane on the way back. It’s just a lot of fun playing in that kind of tournament. It’s amazing how quick you learn from the strategies, the kind of tactics they use and really the preparation that each individual player uses.

“Players you usually play against, you don’t usually tap in to those kind of players. Playing with the likes of Glenn McGrath, being in the squad with the likes of them, Virender Sehwag, your Dilshans, your (Daniel) Vettoris.

“Guys who are usually on the opposition and being able to talk to them and ask questions all the time, it’s amazing how much you learn quickly.”

As for England’s chances of glory on June 21 at Lord’s, Collingwood believes Twenty20’s unpredictable nature means they are as likely winners as any of the Test-playing nations.

The Durham all-rounder, who also led England in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa, knows this well after witnessing Zimbabwe upset Australia in 2007.

“Twenty20 cricket can be a funny old game because even the best sides don’t always win the matches. Sometimes it only takes one person or two people to put one of them match-winning performances and the game’s taken away from you.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that the best side wins the game but, looking at the squad that we’ve got and we’ve certainly got a lot of match-winners in there, it’s hopefully (a case of) going out there and backing yourself and having that belief and going out there and doing the job.

“You never know how far it will take us, that kind of attitude and trying to play with freedom.”

Collingwood learned a lot from his Delhi Daredevils team-mates although he did not get a game in the IPL