Just about a month after England won their first ever one-day series there, and under his leadership, Paul Collingwood is back in Sri Lanka: not as captain this time but nevertheless as a key member of a side that has been doing increasingly well on the subcontinent in recent years. "We've got belief now," Collingwood tells Cricinfo in this interview conducted just before the team left for Sri Lanka.

'I do enjoy the challenges of playing on the subcontinent. It's my kind of game' © Getty Images

Andrew Miller: The Test series against Sri Lanka gets underway shortly but only a month ago you were out there as captain, and a victorious captain at that. That must have been a proud tour for you.

Paul Collingwood: Yes, it was a very satisfying tour from the captain's point of view, especially with the way the guys approached it. They learned from their mistakes in the first one-dayer as well as from the things that the Sri Lankan bowlers did correctly. The skill levels were very high and to come back and win the series like we did, from a captain's point of view, was very satisfying.

AM: How much can you take out of a one-day performance when going into a Test series like this?

PC: Most of the guys who were part of the one-day squad are going back for the Test series, so the victory is still fresh in our minds and the confidence levels will be high. It's obviously a different form of the game altogether. Muttiah Muralitharan is back, which is a big thing for Sri Lanka. We've got belief now. A lot of the guys who did well in the one-day series will now be applying the same skills in the Test arena and there will be a lot of belief.

AM: Michael Vaughan is back as captain and clearly you are quite happy to make way for a man like him?

PC: Yeah, absolutely. He's very much the master when it comes to captaincy. I've learned a hell of a lot from Vaughan over the past few years and will continue to do so. I look forward to getting back into the ranks and trying to fulfil my role as a batsman and as a fielder, and hopefully bowl a few dibbly-dobblers as well. I have been seen as a senior member of the squad for the past few years now and that hasn't changed, and hopefully I can create that same enthusiasm and energy in the nets and also take my game to the next level.

AM: This tour brings you full circle: you made your debut on the last tour to Sri Lanka. How have you changed in the four years since?

PC: That's a very good question. I have obviously got fond memories of that tour, making my Test debut at Galle. It was very much a scrap. In fact, all three games were a scrap - it was a real hard-fought series. It was a pity we didn't come out on top that time around but hopefully we're better off from that kind of experience. We have been successful in Sri Lanka in the past, so it's not to say that we can't go to Sri Lanka and win. We are going there with a lot of confidence. Hopefully, as a player and as an individual I have improved a little bit over the past four years. I look forward to facing those challenges that I faced four years ago, and hopefully, overcoming them this time around.

AM: You have been very successful on the subcontinent since then. You shovel it over the leg side on those slow pitches. You do enjoy batting in those conditions, don't you?

PC:(laughs) I do. I enjoy the challenges of the subcontinent; the turning wickets, the men around the bat. It's my kind of game. You are in a proper scrap when you are playing in those conditions. The heat also comes into it as well, and you are sweating all the time, and just the whole feeling of being out there is like a true scrap. I enjoy the challenge of it all and I am very confident that we will come away with something from Sri Lanka.

AM: Sri Lanka are having a tough time of it in Australia. Their opening batsman has called their selectors "muppets". Is there anything that you can read into all that?

PC: I'm not too sure. We will obviously be concentrating on what we can do in Sri Lanka. We will have our game plans and it will be interesting to see what kind of confidence they have coming back from Australia. We've experienced that - it's not nice going to Australia and not coming back with anything. We are confident that we can go to Sri Lanka and do the things that we do well and then see what happens.

AM: This is a first Test tour for Peter Moores, taking over from Duncan Fletcher. What are the differences that you have noticed?

PC: I don't like comparing the two coaches. I think that when you start comparing people, you start looking at peoples' weaknesses and strengths, and I don't see it as that. Moores has been fantastic ever since he came into the job. His enthusiasm has been excellent and everybody has enjoyed working with him, just as they did with Fletcher. Fletcher took English cricket to the next level and I have always been good friends with him. So it's two very good coaches who have obviously got very different styles.

AM: There are a few new faces in the squad - the likes of Graeme Swann and Phil Mustard. What do they bring to the set-up?

I have obviously got fond memories of making my Test debut at Galle. It was a real hard-fought series. It was a pity we didn't come out on top that time around, but hopefully we're better off from that kind of experience

PC: Phil's a great character. He's got plenty of energy and enthusiasm. He's got boundless potential and he's a very exciting player. He keeps it very simple and he's a great member to have in the squad. I'm looking forward to see what he can do in the Test arena if he gets his chance.

AM: Andrew Strauss is missing out; he gets a winter off. He's been touring incessantly for a long time. Do you think he'll come back a refreshed player for this break?

PC: Strauss is a very talented player. We all know that and he knows that, and maybe a break will do him a world of good. He'll be getting away from the game for a bit. Obviously, he will be playing a bit down in South Africa and I am sure he will be very successful out there. He's got an opportunity to better his game and to work on those things that sometimes you don't get a chance to work on when you're on the treadmill all the time. He will bounce back. He's a strong character and a great lad and a great team member as well, and I'm sure he'll be back [in the team] in the future.

AM: You have just come from a rare month off. How have you spent your time away from cricket?

PC: I wish it was four months. We were back in training two weeks ago and had the old three-day session at Loughborough. Once you get past that first week of being back at home you are itching to get back and play cricket again (laughs). You do switch back earlier than you would like, but it's nice to have been at home. It's nice to spend time with the family and do the things that you can't do when you are on tour. It's been a really refreshing last few weeks.

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