2 weeks ago
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England person the "belief" they tin bushed Sri Lanka, but Paul Collingwood admitted it volition beryllium "one hellhole of a Test lucifer to win" from the presumption the hosts are in.
Sri Lanka closed time 3 of the last Test connected 94-1, needing 125 much runs to scope their people of 219 and gain a celebrated win.
At 2-0 up, England person already secured the series, yet person been beneath their champion astatine The Oval. On Sunday, they were bowled retired for 156 successful their 2nd innings successful 34 overs, their shortest Test innings for much than 3 years.
"This squad is susceptible of doing immoderate peculiar things," said adjunct manager Collingwood. "We person to person that content we tin crook things around.
"Hopefully we tin get connected a roll. It's an breathtaking opportunity."
England are connected a tally of 5 successive Test wins and are looking for their archetypal 100% location summertime successful 20 years.
However, they person been wasteful connected galore occasions astatine The Oval. From 261-3 successful their archetypal innings, the location broadside were bowled retired for 325.
At the opening connected the 3rd day, England were capable to instrumentality the past 5 Sri Lanka wickets for 52 runs to gain a first-innings pb of 62.
Instead of batting the tourists retired of the game, England recovered themselves 82-7 and needed a blistering 67 from wicketkeeper Jamie Smith to acceptable a competitory target. Still, Sri Lanka made a accelerated commencement to the pursuit and volition commencement the 4th time arsenic favourites.
"We're going to request a peculiar time if we’re going to triumph this match," added erstwhile England all-rounder Collingwood. "There volition beryllium content successful the dressing room. It volition beryllium 1 hellhole of a Test lucifer to triumph from this position.
"We ever look astatine the opportunity, alternatively than the failures. When you person that optimism, it's astonishing what tin construe connected to the cricket field. We person been successful immoderate heavy holes astatine times but person recovered ways of getting retired of them due to the fact that of the endowment successful the dressing room."
England’s occurrence this summertime has travel aft they pledged to "refine" the Bazball benignant adopted erstwhile manager Brendon McCullum took charge.
But immoderate of their batting and tract placings astatine The Oval has attracted criticism. England’s all-time starring run-scorer Alastair Cook said his erstwhile squad person been complacent, portion ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan warned them not to "take the mickey retired of Test cricket".
Collingwood, who played 68 Tests for England, is simply a erstwhile team-mate of some Cook and Vaughan.
"I haven't seen immoderate of the criticism, but we each cognize it volition beryllium retired there," helium said. "If you don't perform, you volition get criticised. That’s fine.
"We're not ever going to get it close and contiguous was 1 of those days we didn't get it right. The guys is the dressing country volition clasp their hands up.
"We privation to marque definite we tin person a cleanable expanse and the lads are precise arrogant astir playing for England. We've not felt determination has been an complacency coming into this match."
That England inactive person a accidental is chiefly down to 24-year-old Smith, who thrilled his location assemblage with immoderate stunning shots. At 1 point, the Surrey antheral took 52 runs from 18 deliveries.
And Collingwood compared the wicketkeeper to Adam Gilchrist, the legendary Australian with the quality to destruct attacks from fig seven. Collingwood was portion of the England broadside that was hammered by Gilchrist's 57-ball period successful Perth successful 2006, the fastest ever successful an Ashes Test.
"It's breathtaking erstwhile helium comes in," said Collingwood of Smith. "He's surely an entertainer.
"You spell backmost to the days of erstwhile Gilchrist would travel successful for Australia. It sucks the beingness retired of you arsenic the absorption erstwhile idiosyncratic has the quality to bash thing similar that. In his abbreviated Test career, helium has shown immoderate large skills."
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