Collingwood enjoys Adelaide return

Paul Collingwood marked today's return to the scene of his Test double-century by dominating a three-figure stand with Ian Bell in England's second Ashes warm-up match.

The fifth-wicket pair put on 131 in 33 overs against South Australia to provide the substance to England's 288 for eight declared, but regular wickets either side of their partnership limited the tourists' gains at the Adelaide Oval.

Collingwood (94) cashed in most effectively, on the ground where he made a career-best 206 in England's dispiriting second-Test defeat on their last Ashes tour.

Bell's 61 was perhaps the more cultured innings, scored at a slower tempo but characterised by assured defence and measured attack throughout.

In nine overs of bowling up to stumps on day one of three, England were wicketless as their hosts reached 26 - and Collingwood spoiled his day by putting down a routine chance at third slip to reprieve James Smith on 12 off James Anderson.

England had won the toss on a warm but increasingly cloudy day - and then lost two wickets in the first hour and two soon after lunch, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen departing in the space of five overs.

Cook battled through the first session in pursuit of the runs he urgently requires before the start of the Ashes.

But after Peter George (three for 65) had seen off Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott in his new-ball spell on a pitch of decent pace, Cook also fell to the Ashes aspirant fast bowler. Strauss went in only the third over, via an edge down the leg-side, wicketkeeper Graham Manou taking a diving catch.

Trott survived a straightforward chance to slip Daniel Harris off Ben Edmondson on 11, only to go in embarrassingly tame fashion a single later.

He aimed to pull George but instead spliced an unmissable catch straight back to the bowler.

New batsman Pietersen was not put off the pull by what he had just witnessed, dispatching George for four - off the front foot - from only the fourth ball he faced.

England's third-wicket pair had no particular alarms for the remainder of the morning but were hardly breaking the speed limit against a disciplined seam attack.

Cook had done the hard work in a country where initial survival is often handsomely repaid against the old ball. Instead, he failed to move his feet and flapped an edge behind only two overs after lunch.

Pietersen then threatened to cut loose, with a pair of straight-driven fours and a pulled six off George. But he took the deep-square man on again off Edmondson and was well caught right on the line by Aiden Blizzard, who knocked the ball up and just kept it in to complete the dismissal.

Collingwood responded by easily outpacing Bell on his way to a 50 which contained eight boundaries.

He had a let-off shortly afterwards when debutant medium-pacer Tim Lang got through his defences to the back leg but had no luck with his appeal.

Otherwise, there was much to admire in Collingwood's workmanlike batsmanship.

But on the verge of another three-figure score at a venue he clearly enjoys, he sliced a drive at Jake Haberfield into the hands of gully.

Bell soon followed him back, having faced 117 balls - one more than Collingwood - and timed nine high-class boundaries, before surprisingly missing a straight ball from Edmondson.

Stuart Broad could manage only a single, paddling a catch off slow left-armer Aaron O'Brien straight to short-leg. But Matt Prior and Graeme Swann pushed England up towards 300 until the number nine holed out in the deep, sweeping at O'Brien, to bring the declaration.