Twelve months ago it is unlikely that England would have won the tense Second Test Match in Kandy. On four occasions – the Sri Lankan first innings, the middle-order wobble in their own first innings, during the Sangakkara fight-back, and having lost four top-order wickets in the final run chase – the English players were under extreme pressure. Each time, however, they refused to crumble as they may have done in years gone by.

Duncan Fletcher believes the key to their recent success in Kandy, Karachi and against the West Indies at Lord's last summer, is the burgeoning self-belief of the players.

"It was a very difficult Test to win and you have to give credit to the side for performing so well under tremendous pressure," he said in Colombo this afternoon. "If we had lost in Kandy, then it would have been very difficult to get things back on track in time for the Third Test Match. We played good cricket throughout the match.

Duncan Fletcher: Confidence is the key Photo © CricInfo

"There is no doubt that this side has got bottle. The players now have more confidence in their ability and they really believe that they can win games from tight situations. That confidence comes from winning games.

"The night before the last day, they looked pretty relaxed. There were obviously some nerves, but I have been with them on previous occasions when you just wonder what is going to happen the next day and I felt they were silently confident on Saturday night.

"They have the confidence that they won't panic in tight situations. If you are confident in your ability to win a game, then you can go out there and be patient. They just looked as if they could handle the situation."

No one highlights this change more graphically than Craig White. During the early part of his Test career he was far from the self-assured Antipodean that he was cranked up to be. Now, however, he swaggers under his England shirt and looks twice the player when the going gets tough. When he strode out to bat after the loss of six wickets in the second innings, he looked like he would win the match.

Fletcher said that the team "know that they have got a job to do. Each guy in the squad has got to be prepared to win it. Too often you get some guys who rely on others to do it. We keep stressing that if you get in, you have got to take responsibility. That is what this side is showing now. Gough knew that it was his responsibility to make the breakthrough, you could see it in him".

Fletcher steadfastly refuses to publicly criticise his players, but he hinted nonetheless that Graeme Hick will be carrying the drinks at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Thursday: "We have to sit down and analyse what the next game is all about and try to pick a team to win that with one eye on the future."

It is probably safe to assume that Vaughan represents the future.

Hick and Vaughan could both play as Nasser Hussain is fighting a tight battle to be fit for the Third Test. One match ago the loss of Hussain as a batsman may not have been the cause of too much concern, but he finally ended a 15-month barren spell in Kandy with a glorious ninth Test century.

"To go through what he has been going through in the last 15 months and score a hundred shows a lot of character," said Fletcher. "He has been under a hell of a lot of pressure and must have started doubting his place in the side as a batter. Throughout that period, however, he kept a smile on his face and at no stage did he seem under pressure when he handled people in the dressing room."

Fletcher praised the efforts of Gough, the deserved man of the match for his eight wickets: "I believe that there is something in Gough that a lot of sides require. He brings a lot of humour and is a good role model when he gets out there, as he gives 110% all the time. People tend to follow that. You can't have bowlers who just like to bowl when the going is good."

The role of Gough was of even more importance because of the disappointing form of Ashley Giles, who has taken just one wicket in the series; that of Chaminda Vaas, as Sri Lanka chased runs in Galle.

"No-one's form continues to climb all the time," reasoned Fletcher. "You will always have your ups and your downs. Perhaps he is trying too hard after performing so well in Pakistan and just needs to get back to basics a little bit."

Fletcher agreed that his Achilles heel injury may be playing on his mind: "When you go out there you have to make sure that everything is focused on the job that you have got to do. He has bowled with the injury for Warwickshire, but perhaps when he plays for England he is worried about letting the side down."

Fletcher is due to sit down and discuss player contracts with David Graveney, Chairman of Selectors, over the coming days. In an ideal world he would like to have 15 players contracted. He believes that they are one more important reason for the team's success.

"The players are able to rest and are properly looked after. You see the value of rest by us playing that one-day game instead of the scheduled three-day game. If Gough have played a three-day game before that Test match, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to come back like he did to twice make the breakthroughs? Rest is important, both mentally and physically."

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