London, Feb.10 (ANI): England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has said that former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne may have to eat his words during this year’s Ashes series insofar as his comment on captain Andrew Strauss was concerned.Warne had claimed that Strauss was showing a lack of respect to Test cricket by skipping the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.

Collingwood, however, said that Strauss had the right to stay fresh for bigger challenges down the line.

“We’re the only team in the world that plays cricket all year round - everyone else has breaks due to their seasons. The stress levels are like a football manager - with selection and tactics - and that can take its toll over 12 months. Straussy and the management feel that the time is right to take a break and they have made a strong decision,” Collingwood told Sun Sport.”And it will be a fantastic decision if the captain gets fresh, gets in form and scores bag-loads of runs in the Ashes. This is a long-term view. We have strong characters in the dressing room, and even without Strauss we’ll have the same mentality and team ethics. Cricket-wise I can’t see the next month being a train smash without him,” he added.Collingwood also described Kevin Pietersen’s drop in form as standard.

“It’s very tough thing form. If you knew how to get back in good touch, you’d do it every time. Kevin hasn’t lost his technique - and he’s still confident in what he can do. Bangladesh is a great place for him to get some big runs. He is our X Factor player and will win many games for us down the line,” said Collingwood. (ANI)