Paul Collingwood

Collingwood is an all-rounder who mixes natural strokeplay with the bat with reliable and occasionally dangerous medium-pace bowling. At 5'10" and an athletic and highly skilled fielder, he usually fields at backward point, and has drawn comparisons with the likes of South African Jonty Rhodes and other top-class international fielder.

Cricketing career

Collingwood was voted Player of the Year by the Durham members in 2000, particularly for his one-day efforts. A back injury then saw his form peak and trough but in 2001 he hit form and excelled in the county championship and the one-day game, earning a call up to the England squad and he was selected for the NatWest Series against Pakistan and Australia in 2001.

Although not particularly successful in his debut, the selectors showed their confidence in his ability by choosing him for the one-day tour of Zimbabwe, where he starred as England secured a 5-0 whitewash. Having established himself as an integral part of the England one-day setup, the next step would be to earn a call-up to the Test squad. However, he dislocated his right shoulder while fielding in a pre-season county friendly against Lancashire and was forced to miss most of the 2003 season. Nevertheless, he was awarded a 12-month ECB contract when the winter touring squads were announced for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where he would make his Test debut.

Although unable to establish a place in the first eleven, his all-round ability and fielding strengths made him a regular on England's overseas Test tours as 12th man. Several of the 'caught sub' entries recorded on England's scorecards can be attributed to his appearances on the field as a substitute, although they don't count towards his official statistics.

He retained his place in England's one-day side throughout the summer of 2004 despite a knee injury and scored an unbeaten 79 in the second match of the NatWest Challenge against India at The Oval as the home side won the series 2-1. Collingwood was also England's second highest run-scorer in the Champions Trophy with 141 at an average of 70.5, which included an unbeaten 80 in the opening game against Zimbabwe. He played in all 11 one-day internationals against Zimbabwe and South Africa, and was then named in the England Development Squad in May 2005, and the 14-man squad for The NatWest Series and the NatWest International Twenty20 against Australia.

The Ashes Summer and Beyond

He came back into the team for the 3rd Test against Pakistan in 2005-6, making his first and second Test 50 in both innings in a losing cause. In the ODI series he along with Durham teammates Liam Plunkett and Steve Harmison have accounted for the majority of wickets through their bowling and fielding.

In the 2006 New Year's Honours List, he was awarded the MBE for his role in the successful Ashes victory (despite some criticism that his limited role did not warrant the honour).

Following his performance in Pakistan, Collingwood was added to an injury-hit England eleven for the first Test against India in March 2006. Collingwood justified his position in the team with a magnificent 134 not out in the first innings on 2 March, 2006, making his first Test century and steadying a wavering ship with a patient and intelligent knock. Following this innings the Times, who had been among the critics of Collingwood's MBE, ran the sports headline "MBE? Give this man a knighthood!"

He has subsequently kept his place for the first three Tests against Sri Lanka. While he dropped two catches during the first Test at Lord's, he made up for those errors during the second Test at Egbaston, where he made five catches in two innings while playing his usual batting style as foil (with Andrew Flintoff) to Kevin Pietersen's 142 in the first innings. He then followed this up with a vital innings in the 1st Test against Pakistan later in the summer, scoring his second Test century. On this occasion he was the dominant partner, batting for most of his innings with rookie Alastair Cook. When Cook departed, he continued with Ian Bell to complete his 150 before at last being removed by Danish Kaneria for 186.

He lives in Durham with his partner Vicki, who is expecting their first child.

External link

• [Player Profile: ] from Cricinfo

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