WHETHER or not he plays in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy tomorrow, Durham's Paul Collingwood is confident he has done enough to earn a second cap.

His battling innings of 36, spanning three hours and 153 balls, went a long way towards saving the first Test at Galle and he said: "I think it showed I have some grit and determination.

"After playing in 42 one-day internationals they know I can play a few shots, but just blocking it out for so long was probably a good thing for my career."

Collingwood was still waiting to hear last night whether he will keep his place in the squad after being called up at Galle as a late replacement for Nasser Hussain, who has now recovered from his illness.

But the Shotley Bridge all-rounder knows that selection policies have changed since the last Durham-born Test player, Simon Brown, was discarded after one appearance.

"Poor old Chubby will always be known as a one-cap wonder," said Collingwood. "I don't think it will happen to me, but even if it does no-one can take it away from you.

"I was very proud to play in my first one-day international but I have always wanted to play Test cricket and it was a very special moment when I realised I was in the team.

"I didn't know until about half an hour beforehand because Nasser hadn't mentioned on the way to the ground that he was struggling.

"I was practising some catches and running round quite a bit when Michael Vaughan came up to me and told me to get ready to play. It was a bit of a shock and I didn't have long to get used to it before we were out there."

He faced only ten balls in his first innings and made one run before edging Muttiah Muralitharan to slip to become one of the spinner's seven victims in the innings.

"Going out to face him on a turning pitch is hard enough," he said. "But being my first Test I had a few nerves and I went a bit hard at the ball which got me out. It was the one which turns away from the bat and it carried to slip.

"I was disappointed but I had to learn from that, and that's where Duncan Fletcher is very good. He has been working out techniques against spin with the other England batsmen for a few years.

"The technique is to press forward before the ball is bowled, but not to go too hard at it if you're playing defensively.

"We use computer analysis as well to work out the theory, but although you get advice from a lot of people in the end you have to work it out for yourself.

"Murali's a very clever bowler. He fizzes them down when you first go in because he knows it's a great opportunity to get you out. But if you can survive five or six overs he gets a bit tired and tends not to fizz it as much.

"He's a fantastic bowler and he has such a quick arm the ball comes at you too fast to watch the rotations through the air or wait for the spin off the pitch, so you have to try and read his action.

"The spin seems to come more from his wrist than the fingers - it's a lot different from an orthodox off-spinner.

"It's amazing how much he turns it. Facing him in his own backyard is a great challenge. That's the only way to look at it.

"We're all watching him from the non-striker's end as well to see if we can learn anything. I wouldn't say I was picking him 100 per cent in my second innings, but I was getting it right most of the time."

Collingwood scored his first one-day hundred against Sri Lanka in Perth and made his best first-class score, 190, for Durham against them at Chester-le-Street.

"I think they know I can bat," he said. "There has been a bit of banter and a bit of aggression, but they are very friendly off the pitch, as all the people here are.

"Bangladesh was a bit of a culture shock. Other than the cricket it was all fitness work, eat, drink and sleep because there wasn't much else to do.

"This is paradise and I'm loving every minute of it. We had our first game of golf for five weeks yesterday."

As a Sunderland fan, Collingwood is looking forward to being home in time for the Boxing Day match against Bradford City followed by the FA Cup tie against Hartlepool.

His injured Durham and England teammate Stephen Harmison sends him mickey-taking text messages when Sunderland have lost and he's hoping to team up with the paceman again in the West Indies in the spring.

"He's been down to Loughborough for treatment on his back a few times and he expects to be fit for the Caribbean.

"I think they are selecting the squad for that trip soon after Christmas, so hopefully I've done enough to be in it.

"All the batsmen here are fully fit now and it's a tough batting line-up to break into.

"But I think I've shown enough to be given another chance when a vacancy arises."