Colly: One-dayers will set us up for the Ashes

"There are lots of fresh faces in the side who've not come up against Australia before, who haven't got the scars of previous defeats, and that's very important. There are no scars, it's as simple as that.

"We're very strong mentally, as you have to be against Australia. There are going to be periods when they're aggressive and putting us under lots of pressure, but we've got to be strong enough to cope with that. We need to put the pressure on them."

Unfortunately for England the pressure in recent encounters between the sides has been flowing only one way. Before last September's Champions Trophy semi-final, Australia had won their previous 14 one-day matches against England, an incredible level of dominance in a relatively short two-horse race.
But Collingwood insists that England's six-wicket victory in Birmingham was a major turning point.

He said: "Winning at Edgbaston last year was a very important victory. It was important to get to the final of the Champions Trophy but the bigger picture was the message we sent out to Australia, that we're a good side who've got belief in ourselves. That's something we've not really had in the past.

"We've always just tried to compete but now we know we can beat them. There were 11 players on the field that day who went out with that belief and it reaped dividends.

"Winning is a massive thing. I've been involved in Test squads over the last couple of years that have won in the West Indies and South Africa and broken all sorts of records. We've had two-and-a-half years of success but Australia have had a good 10 years. They've built that confidence over a long period, which is why they're such a good side."

Collingwood will get an early opportunity to assess the strength of the 2005 Australians this evening, when he is part of Professional Cricketers Association XI facing the tourists in a Twenty20 match at Arundel, a warm-up for the first Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Kevin Pietersen and Hampshire's highlyrated paceman Chris Tremlett will also be in the PCA line-up alongside such veterans as Devon Malcolm and Chris Lewis, with Collingwood hoping it will be the first of many appearances against Australia.

Pietersen's emergence in South Africa has changed Collingwood's role in the one-day side, dropping him down to number seven in the batting order, but he remains confident of making a contribution and has not given up hope of a Test recall.

He said: "I'm happy to play for England, full stop, and if the captain and coach have a role for me then I'll take it. If they wanted me to be the wicketkeeper then I'd do it, it's as simple as that.

"I see the one-dayers as a real opportunity. I hope to be bowling a lot more and if I can have a good month then I can put some pressure on the Test players. You never know what can happen and I've got massive hopes for the Ashes. I've scored two centuries this season for Durham in the four-day game and I can't remember the last time I scored two tons in a season. I'm more than confident that I can go in there and do a job."

Collingwood also believes Pietersen has the ability to make the transition to Test cricket.

He added: "Kevin has got what it takes to play international cricket, he showed that in South Africa. He's got a strong mental character and a lot of belief in himself, which is what you need at the top level."