"I think when we looked at the team on paper before we went out there, all the guys sensed that we could do something special."
Paul Collingwood Quotes of the week

Collingwood's side secured the crown after a convincing seven-wicket victory against arch-rivals Australia in the final.

The skipper admitted that celebrations had been "lively" after the win, but said that it was no more that the squad deserved after such a great string of performances.

"When you win World Cup, when you win something as a player that you've been trying to achieve for some time, you should celebrate," Collingwood said.

"It's thoroughly deserved and the kind of cricket that we played over the last few weeks was fantastic.

Confidence

"The self-belief and the confidence that we were taking out in the middle obviously showed again on the big occasion on Sunday.

"The guys were absolutely delighted to take their best games into such a big occasion."

The 33-year-old was also quick to dismiss any suggestions that he will be looking to replace Andrew Strauss as the one-day captain ahead of next year's 50-over World Cup.

Although he was not present in the West Indies, Collingwood said that large part of the success must be credited to the leadership of Strauss and also coach Andy Flower.

He added: "A lot of this kind of success we've had over the past few weeks can go down to a lot of the values that Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss have incorporated over the past year.

Strong unit

"We're starting to see a lot of the team ethics that we've incorporated certainly helping the team to gel together and become a strong unit."

The Durham batsman also hailed the impact of fresh faces such as Craig Kieswetter and Eoin Morgan, who brought a new dynamic to the set-up.

"I think there's been, let's be honest, a couple of selections that brought a different kind of impact to the England cricket team," Collingwood said.

"I think when we looked at the team on paper before we went out there, all the guys sensed that we could do something special.

"So the belief was there early doors but once we got the ball rolling, once we got past Guyana, and nearly a slip up against Ireland, there was a lot of confidence around the dressing room."