T20 World Cup 2016: Former England captain Paul Collingwood excited by Three Lions batting firepower

Former England captain Paul Collingwood is excited at the way England are approaching the shorter formats of the game and feels that their "powerful" batting line-up gives them a strong chance of winning the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in India. The 39-year-old was captain of the English side that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2010, their only global title to date.

Speaking to BBC, Collingwood said: "Everybody has seen the way white-ball cricket has been going over the past year, it's been very exciting. The fielding is world-class, the batting line-up is powerful right down to nine or 10. There are good things happening in this team.

"We need to realize the good things they've been doing the past year, the way they've played their cricket, these guys are very much athletes now. If they play like they did against Australia or New Zealand they can beat anyone. With players like that (batters), you'll always have a chance to win major tournaments."

England have surprised everyone with their new approach to white-ball cricket, giving South Africa a run for their money in the recent series. Despite losing both the One-Day International (ODI) and T20 series, the team has a settled look about them and in Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Alex Hales and skipper Eoin Morgan they have batsmen who can take the game away from the opposition on their day.

The Three Lions are drawn in Group 1 for the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 alongside South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and the Group B qualifier winner and will start their campaign against West Indies on 16 March at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.