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Monday, 29 January 2007, 08:15 GMT

Paul Collingwood column

By Paul Collingwood
England batsman

The England players are devastated about the performances we have put in over the last week, with defeats to Australia and New Zealand.

"On Sunday we had to go to a club ground and it turned out to be a fantastic morning's practice on a great wicket"
Collingwood in action in Sunday's practice in Perth I still believe we have the ability to be far better than our current form but there was a lack of confidence in Adelaide.

In one-day cricket you have to be confident in what you are doing and that can be eroded when things go badly.

You have to have 100% belief in the plans you go out with and maybe it was not there in the last two games.

There are two things we need to do as a team to turn things around, and we are putting all our efforts into that.

Firstly, we need to keep working hard in training, fighting hard in matches and individually trying to step up and help turn this around.

With the Waca hosting Australia and New Zealand on Sunday, we had to go to a club ground and it turned out to be a fantastic morning's practice on a great wicket.

"I would not go as far as saying it is good for English cricket but experiences like this can make you stronger"
It was the sort of session that can help you turn a corner, and with a vital game against New Zealand on Tuesday, we know we need to keep scrapping.

Secondly, we have to keep clear heads. It really, really hurts to be going through what we are now but there is a danger you can put too much pressure on yourself.

I've had plenty of times throughout my career when I've felt as low as I am now but experience makes me realise you can benefit from them.

I would not go as far as saying it is good for English cricket but experiences like this can make you stronger, both personally and as a team.

A lot of people will not be able to see that at the moment - it may look like we are not going anywhere.

It may not have been on as big a stage but my first season with Durham in 1996, when we didn't win a game, was a real low point.

When times get tough again, you have to remember those times and what you did to get out of the trough.

It has been a very long trip and it might be better occasionally to take time away and hopefully come back refreshed.

"When you lose the likes of Kevin Pietersen it changes the game plans available to you and you have to adapt to that quickly"
Pietersen returned home with a fractured rib

But with a game every three or four days in this one-day series it's sometimes very hard to get the balance between having a day off and having an extra practice session

Sometimes you may need a couple of days rest to get away from things but most of the boys are the kind of characters who want to work harder.

There has been a lot of talk in the media about our approach, compared to the attacking batting Australia have shown so far in this series.

But you have to play to your strengths as a batsman and a batting side. There is no point at trying to do things you are not very good at.

We all have different shots that we are good at, or places where we hit the ball well.

In the past we all had had a good understanding of that but at the moment we are not completely on the ball.

When you have a bad run of form, though, you tend to go in your shell a little, put too much pressure on yourself, and that makes it harder to play to your full potential.

Maybe that is what is happening at the moment.

When you lose the likes of Kevin Pietersen it changes the game plans available to you and you have to adapt to that quickly.

We talk about that all the time, trying to figure out where we can improve but at some point the talking has to stop and we have to perform.




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Related to this story:

England's losing habit (26 Jan 07 |  England )
Vaughan a doubt after new setback (28 Jan 07 |  England )
Commonwealth Bank Series 2006/07 (21 Jan 07 |  England )

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