Looking none the worse for wear and tear after a gruelling home summer and an eight-hour fight from London, England captain Paul Collingwood said he hoped to ride on the Twenty20 experience of his squad at the inaugural World Cup.
“The squad chosen is a very good Twenty20 squad. It covers all the bases, and the guys that have brought in for this tournament have a lot of Twenty20 experience. It gives us a bit of an edge over the other teams. The camp is still buoyant after the performances in the one-day series against India. There is a buzz which could work in our favour. We hope to get off to a good start in the competition,” said Collingwood. England are placed in Group B alongside Australia and Zimbabwe, and begin their campaign in Cape Town on Thursday against Zimbabwe.
“We have met the Aussies a couple of times in this format. We beat them badly once, and they did likewise in Sydney. It is a big game and it is one that we would hope to win,” Collingwood added.
England have had a domestic Twenty20 competition for a few years now and have played the most Twenty20 internationals, but the Durham all-rounder shrugged off suggestions that his side began favourites. “All this does not make us favourites. Every team coming here thinks they can win it. It is good from our point of view that we have been playing a lot of cricket recently and are match-fit. Maybe that is the edge we need to make an impact in this competition.
“In a lot of ways, the Twenty20 game is similar to one-day cricket. It’s basically the same kind of skills, but this is a bit quicker.
The left ankle injury to Andrew Flintoff continues to occupy English minds. “We are hoping that he will be fully fit. We will assess the ankle as we go along. Freddie is desperate to play for England, but he has got some soreness in the ankle as well, so we have to take all factors into account. He’s a massive player for us. I have always maintained that he is two players in one. He is important not just for what he brings with bat and ball, but for his sheer presence in the dressing room. It is great to have him here.”