Die-hard optimist Collingwood says England still World Cup contender

London, Oct 31 (UNI) In what could send a ripple of giggles among the detractors, the die-hard optimist in Paul Collingwood insists England, notwithstanding the ignominious exit from Champions Trophy, are still a genuine contender for next year's World Cup.

Collingwood is seemingly unperturbed by Eengland's poor run of form which saw them winning just one match in the Champions Trophy before they were shown the door and critics, including former captain Geoffrey Boycott, questioned their sincerity in the shorter version of the game.

''We're still confident we can mount a serious challenge at the World Cup,'' Collingwood told BBC Sport.

''We have to forget about the last 12 months, but the potential is there,'' the all-rounder added.

England's consolation win against the West Indies was of little solace as the Andrew Flintoff-led side crashed out of the Champions Trophy with defeats at the hands of Australia and India.

''It's a massive positive to finish like that but it's also frustrating for us. We keep teasing ourselves in one-day cricket. We know how good we can be but we don't put the performances in consistently,'' Collignwood rued.

''If we play to our potential we can beat anybody and we've shown that - it's not just big talk, results have shown we can do that,'' he added.

The side had a poor year after Sri Lanka whitewashed them 5-0 in the one-day series and they came back from 0-2 down to draw parity with Pakistan.

''We know we can't put in performances like some of the ones we've given in the last 12 months - if we do, we'll be nowhere near the mark at the World Cup,'' warned the player.

However, taking a positive view of the situation, Collingwood said,''But if you look at Kevin Pietersen, Freddie Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick - not many teams will fancy coming up against a batting line-up like that.

''We're confident we can do it, but we have to go out on the pitch and forget about everything else. There's no point in talking a big game, you have to do it on the pitch,'' he said.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney also promised that England won't leave any stone unturned in its effort to raise its level before the World Cup.

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