Monday, September 9, 2002 After all the argy-bargy and harrowing negotiations about players' rights, it looks as if the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka will go ahead as planned. The competing countries can get down to the serious business - and this is a serious tournament, an important yardstick for the forthcoming World Cup.

I was coaching South Africa when the first such tournament was held, in Bangladesh before the 1999 World Cup in England. We used it to try different combinations and to develop strategies for the World Cup proper. We won, so the preparation was all right ...

This time the Colombo pitches are going to be very different from the ones in South Africa. But even so, this is the start of the World Cup for all the coaches. England in particular will want to find out where they are at the moment against some of the other teams, and I am sure both Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain will be closely watching how those other teams approach the games.

One-day strategies are changing all the time. As usual, Australia are at the forefront of the new ideas. I was interested to read in Steve Waugh's latest diary that he felt Australia had made a commitment not only to do the basics well but to innovate wherever possible. Can England embrace a similar philosophy? Do they have the players to mix and match? Are they flexible enough in their approach? Perhaps not completely, but I do feel that they have embraced the philosophy that they have to look at new areas. Key areas in the one-day game these days are in the mobility, speed and accuracy of the fielders; being able to utilise the first 15 overs to the maximum; becoming very tight and innovative in the period from overs 15 to 40; and having wickets in hand ready for the last ten overs or so.

Without Andrew Flintoff the options are fewer, as he can destroy attacks at a crucial period. However, in Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick England do have a pair that can make the most of the first 15 overs, if they believe in themselves. Nasser Hussain obviously prefers to bat at No. 3 - that hundred at Lord's proved that - but my feeling is that he should not be too rigid about this. I am a great believer that you cannot always be successful in the one-day game in the same position, although Hayden and Gilchrist might change that.

What I do believe in is that certain players bat better than others do in certain periods of the game. For example Jonty Rhodes of South Africa is probably at his best between overs 25 and 40. And Steve Waugh used to be one of the great one-day finishers, in the last ten overs: it looks as if Damien Martyn has taken on that role for Australia. I would suggest that England have yet to identify players for that sort of role.

Can Paul Collingwood take over from Graham Thorpe? Does he have the confidence? This is the sort of thing that will be tested in Sri Lanka. It's a shame that Michael Vaughan, the form player, is unfit for the series - but it does mean that England will have to find new role players. Ideally they will find two or three people who fit nicely into the different aspects of posting a winning total. If the tracks are good then I suspect average scores are going to be around the 260 mark, and Australia are finding their way to that sort of total more and more often.

England may have to find room for Jeremy Snape and Ashley Giles in Sri Lanka, to take the pace off the ball. That won't be quite so necessary in South Africa.

I like the selection of James Kirtley, as he can reverse-swing the white ball very well and I am sure the bowlers will need to do that in Sri Lanka. Rikki Clarke of Surrey is an interesting selection - don't bowl short to this guy! He is lethal. But I'm not sure that his bowling is yet ready for this sort of challenge, I hope he proves me wrong. He is a brilliant fielder with a great arm, and is definitely a good selection for the future.

Andy Caddick's bounce might be nullified on the Sri Lankan pitches, but he can be very useful especially at the beginning of the innings. And as for Snape, he must be a little confused with life - picked regularly for England but only occasionally for Gloucestershire. He is a good one-day player, and I suspect he will not be with Gloucester next year. Giles may well be a key figure. He has experienced Sri Lankan conditions before, and has bowled beautifully for Warwickshire in the odd game that he has been allowed to play in!

And so to the million-dollar question. Can England win the Champions Trophy? Well, who would have bet on New Zealand last time? If India can field their strongest side I fancy them to do well, and Australia are bound to be in the frame. Actually I don't think England are quite ready - they are a few key players short. But this will be invaluable experience for the fringe players, especially if the injury count mounts again after the Ashes tour.

New Zealand won in Kenya last time by working out their tactics and playing to their strengths. England should do the same. I don't think it will be quite enough this time, but I'd love to be proved wrong.

Bob Woolmer, South Africa's coach from 1994 to 1999, is now coach at Warwickshire.

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