Paul Collingwood's break is a timely reminder of the importance of rest

The art of doing nothing is invariably frowned upon. The demands made upon England's cricketers are just a reflection of modern society where, in every walk of life, every second must forever become more productive in case we all reach old age with the sudden realisation that while we were lazing around every so often, we had somehow become poorer than Azerbaijan.

After England announced an exhausting international schedule for 2010, it is relevant to note that the two players most responsible for their unexpected victory in the opening match of the Champions Trophy – a six-wicket win against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers – are the ones who have been allowed the rare luxury of a few days off.

A couple of rounds of golf in Scotland and a few days at home with the family is not everybody's idea of a perfect rest cure, but it has done the trick for Paul CollingwoodPaul Collingwood. The Scottish Tourist Board could make capital out of the way that Collingwood's brief trip north of the border has restored his vigour and silenced suggestions, for the moment at least, that his career is heading down the 18th fairway.

Collingwood is a driven man, and rest goes against his instincts, but his vigorous 46 from 51 balls, with three hearty leg-side sixes, the first against the inswing of Nuwan Kulasekara that might have been designed for him, was a reminder of an uncluttered style that has served England well. On Friday night at least, this did not look like a declining batsman, at 33, living on borrowed time.

Collingwood was reluctant to over-egg the benefits, aware of the formidable challenge that awaits in England's second group game, against South Africa, under the lights today at Supersport Park, but it was clear that the rest had not just healed his body, it had also cleared his mind. "People will put two and two together I guess,'' he said. "I don't know if it is coincidence but I feel pretty good at the moment and the body feels good. I was at a low point a fortnight ago, but England made a strong decision and I have felt the benefit.''

James Anderson was another England player rested during the NatWest Series, and he was comfortably the pick of the attack against Sri Lanka, his 3 for 20 in 9.3 overs, to follow his four wickets against Australia at Trent Bridge, amounting to his best one-day sequence for two years. It was a gleeful new-ball assault by Anderson and Graham Onions, another fast bowler lightly worked of late, that laid the foundations for England's victory, as Sri Lanka were reduced to 17 for 4.

If England must give players time off then the only conclusion, as their former captain Michael VaughanMichael Vaughan trenchantly remarked last week, is that they are playing too much cricket. But Vaughan is trapped in an identical mindset, having just negotiated two jobs as a cricket agent and on Test Match Special – jobs that should be incompatible.

By melting away the stress, Collingwood and Anderson became more productive, happier and more skilful in their work. For a country that works more hours than any in Europe, and that denigrates part-time working, it is a lesson that will not be easily accepted. The ECB should accept it – by announcing immediately that they will send an experimental squad to Bangladesh for the tour in February and March. Such a prospect would immediately lift England's spirits before a prolonged Test and one-day tour of South Africa that begins next month.

Rather than castigate the ECB for their overloaded fixture list, it is better to remember that the ECB's approach is merely a reflection of wider society, where assets must forever be productive and pleasures must forever be sought, to the point where the benefits are no longer evident.

For English cricket to fail to maximise its revenue would be a decision against the cultural mood and would require independent, perhaps even maverick, leadership. Increased revenue has brought vast improvements in the standards of English grounds, but the benefits of that are limited if the players have lost their edge and the crowd's appetite is dulled by repetition.

The art of doing nothing has always had a central role in cricket's traditions. The championship is largely supported by an elderly clientele who are quite content to pick up a crossword, or just stare into space, whenever the game reaches a lull, satisfied that the game's gentle rhythms have removed all distractions.