We have to be brave: Collingwood by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	PD Collingwood, A Flintoff, KP Pietersen
Event:	ICC World Twenty20 2009

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DateLine: 1st June 2009

 

England T20 skipper Paul Collingwood has urged England to be brave as they attempt to win the ICC Twenty20 World Championship on home soil.

 

The English team is without the services of experienced all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who is yet to recover from a knee operation a month ago, while the swashbuckling Kevin Pietersen is making gradual progress from a recent Achilles strain.

 

Pietersen in fact did not participate in the fitness drills before practice at Loughborough, but batted and fielded during the session and Collingwood expects him to play a major part in all the games.

 

Collingwood though expects his team will make the best possible attempt to win the competition no matter what the personnel availability.

 

"I think we've got to be brave," said the Durham all-rounder.

 

"If you go out to win a tournament like this you have to make some brave decisions as individuals when you're out in the middle and you've got to have the belief."

 

"It's crucial you can go out there and believe as a team we can win the competition and also believe in your own ability when you're out in the middle.

 

"I want the team to go out there and be brave and have belief. I just see it as an opportunity. Twenty20 is not an exact science and you have to think on your feet when you're out in the middle.

 

"Sometimes it only takes one person to win the game and we have a lot of match-winners in our side."

 

Collingwood denied that there would be undue pressure considering they are hosts and said that since the players know the wickets and conditions so well it would be an advantage.

 

"People from the outside will say there's added pressure (playing at home), but we're not really looking at it in that way," he said.

 

"We've got an advantage playing in our home conditions and we know what England's all about.

 

"We know the wickets very well and the venues we're playing at and hopefully that will be to our advantage - we're all looking forward to it and excited about playing in front of our own crowds.

 

"We have players who are in crucial positions who have gained a lot of international experience since 2007 and I think they're better players now.

 

"If you look at Ravi Bopara at the top of the order, he's going to be crucial for us and Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have developed as bowlers."

 

England will train again at Loughborough on Tuesday and hope Pietersen can play a bigger part in the session as they build-up for two warm-up matches on successive days against Scotland at Trent Bridge on Tuesday and West Indies at Lord's the following day.

 

"We haven't finalised it 100% but KP will play a major part in all the games, I would have thought," added Collingwood. "He's raring to go, he's had a few weeks off and he wants to get out in the middle."