Scotland v England: Collingwood calls on England to lay down marker for Ashes

One-day international

Paul Collingwood has called on England to "go hard" at Australia in the forthcoming Natwest Series in a bid to recreate the spirit of 2005.

Collingwood was a bystander for four of the five Ashes Tests in that memorable summer but played an integral part in the limited-overs programme that preceded the series.

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In the sides' first meeting of the tour, a Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl, he bludgeoned 46 off 26 balls and picked up two wickets as England drew first blood with a 100-run victory.

The Durham all-rounder was also to the fore as England tied the subsequent Natwest Series with the tourists, scoring 53 in the final.

The full-blooded fashion in which the one-day side attacked opponents universally accepted as the best in the world was widely credited with setting the tone for the Test successes.

Now, with another Ashes series starting Down Under in November, Collingwood wants to lay down a similar marker this time.

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"We all remember that Twenty20 game at Hampshire where we kept nipping them out," said Collingwood, ahead of tomorrow's opening one-day international at the same ground.

"I always remember the aggression we showed with the ball, Darren Gough coming in to bowl on a hat-trick ball and bowling a bouncer at Andrew Symonds.

"That was a bit of a benchmark as to how we wanted to attack Australia. Gough was coming in on a hat-trick and knew he would not get him out but just wanted to show that aggression.

"We never bowled to break their fingers but we were very aggressive.

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"You've got to go hard at them. We've learnt that over the last five or six years.

"If you go hard at them and it comes off, it puts them under a lot of pressure. The 2005 series was a prime example because we had a lot of skill but also went hard at them and we'll continue to do that."

Two men who look ready to take Collingwood's advice to heart are openers Craig Kieswetter and Andrew Strauss.

The World Twenty20 hero and the returning captain played for the first time together in Saturday's seven-wicket win over Scotland at Edinburgh's Citylets Grange – Collingwood closing with a neat 41 not out as the game ended with more than 16 overs remaining.

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Strauss was rested during the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, with Kieswetter surging to prominence in his absence, but the pair combined to devastating effect in a stand worth 121 in 15 overs.

Former Yorkshire all-rounder Gavin Hamilton, who resigned as Scotland captain for work reasons at the end of the match, was left suitably impressed by England's new-look opening pair.

"I've seen Kieswetter quite a bit and he just epitomises the way these boys are playing their cricket now," said Hamilton, who earned a single England Test cap in 1999.

"He hits a clean ball, he backs himself and this is the epitome of new era for English cricket.

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"Strauss is obviously a very decent player, too. He's come and set his stall out in this one-day side.

"He maybe has a lot to prove but the way he played against us just showed he's a class act and I've got no doubt he'll fit his one-day game around this side."

Hamilton made 48 and Durham's Kyle Coetzer (51) also did well after opting to bat first but England spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy took control in the middle stages, sharing five wickets.

Strauss hit the first two balls of the reply to the boundary and Gordon Drummond and Matthew Parker continued to leak runs with the new ball, the latter hit for consecutive fours in his second over as Strauss punctured the infield.

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More of the same followed as the score rattled along to 38 off four overs.

Kieswetter, whose Twenty20 fireworks have been largely responsible for the debate over Strauss's position, had less strike early on but used it to full effect with three brisk boundaries of his own.

A change of bowling after seven overs saw Coetzer enter the attack but Kieswetter duly took him for 12 as England romped past 50.

The Somerset wicketkeeper promptly overtook his captain and celebrated by drilling Coetzer back over his head for six.

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With 10 overs bowled, the openers had added 75 and quickly took the batting powerplay.

The fielding restrictions continued to suit England, with Kieswetter first to 50 off 38 balls. The 22-year-old brought up the landmark with a second towering six off Ross Lyons.

More applause followed for the England hundred and Strauss's half-century.

Strauss, who collected 12 boundaries, fell to the final ball of the 15th over, lofting Majid Haq to Neil McCallum at deep midwicket with the total at 121.

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Kieswetter survived when he went for another big hit in the 17th over but did not last long, caught in the deep off Lyons having progressed to 73 off 64 balls.

No 3 Kevin Pietersen survived a drop at midwicket before holing out to to Haq for 13, leaving Collingwood and Eoin Morgan to take England home.

Earlier, James Anderson had started England's day in the perfect manner, locating opener Ryan Watson's outside edge with the fourth ball of the morning.

Hamilton and Coetzer enjoyed a third-wicket stand of 86 and for a short period Coetzer's nerveless counter-attacking had England worried before Michael Yardy pouched a simple caught and bowled chance.

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Hamilton made a watchful 48 before being stumped, while Dougie Lockhart struck a breezy 46 in the closing overs to see his side past 200.

That aside, Scotland's batting was pedestrian and modestly executed, with Graeme Swann (2-29) and the recalled Yardy

(3-41) largely responsible for the shift in momentum.

Broad's return of 0-57 off nine overs suggests he is not yet back to his best after being rested for the Test series against Bangladesh, but Yorkshire's Ajmal Shahzad took two wickets at the death to wrap up the innings on 211 in the final over.