Gros Islet: The drunken escapades of six England players has brought the squad closer together and itching to play cricket in the must-win World Cup match against Kenya.

“It’s all about cricket from now on and we go into it with a lot of confidence that we can do it,” England allrounder Paul Collingwood said. “You learn from your mistakes and something like that can pull a side together.

“Certainly that is the case with the way the guys have responded with a lot of hard work and effort being put in.”

England spent three days in damage control after allrounder Andrew Flintoff tried taking solace in the drink after the opening six-wicket defeat to New Zealand.

Victory over Kenya will ensure England progresses to the second round for the first time since 1996.

Kenya, a surprise semi-finalists in 2003, are also 1-1 but have a lower run-rate than England.

Kenya are “a potential banana skin, but we have to try to put that out of our minds,” Collingwood said. “Once you start thinking like that it can cause you trouble.

“We’re looking forward to it. It’s a must-win game and we’ve done as much preparation as possible off the pitch ... so on Saturday when we face the first ball we know exactly what to do.”