Paul Collingwood      

A natural athlete, with a happy-go-lucky temperament, Paul Collingwood's appointment as England's one-day captain in 2007 was reward for six years of uncomplaining professionalism, in which time he fought his way through a melee of seemingly more talented opponents to make himself indispensable in both forms of the game. However, he lasted a little over a year in the role before resigning to concentrate on his own game following a controversial series against New Zealand.

Collingwood first played for England's one-day team in 2001, but four years and numerous tours later, he had played in just three Tests. The third of these, however, was the single biggest match of his generation - the decisive fifth Test against Australia at ...

A natural athlete, with a happy-go-lucky temperament, Paul Collingwood's appointment as England's one-day captain in 2007 was reward for six years of uncomplaining professionalism, in which time he fought his way through a melee of seemingly more talented opponents to make himself indispensable in both forms of the game. However, he lasted a little over a year in the role before resigning to concentrate on his own game following a controversial series against New Zealand.

Collingwood first played for England's one-day team in 2001, but four years and numerous tours later, he had played in just three Tests. The third of these, however, was the single biggest match of his generation - the decisive fifth Test against Australia at The Oval, where his responsible batting helped secure the draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18 years. His selection for this match, plus the award of an England central contract in 2001, spoke volumes of the esteem with which he was held by the management. In his wilderness years, he rose to become one of the finest fielders in the world, capable of breathtaking moments in the covers and backward point. As a batsman, he stands still at the crease, plays the ball straight and has a tantalising range of strokes up his sleeve. In Australia in 2002-03 he started the VB Series as 12th man, but soon confirmed his place in the 2003 World Cup squad with a memorable maiden century against Sri Lanka at Perth.

His bowling verges towards the dibbly-dobbly, but given the right conditions he can be irresistible, as he proved with a matchwinning display of swing bowling in the third one-day game against New Zealand in 2001-02. The final tick in his column is determination - realising he was treading water, he dispatched himself to Melbourne in the winter of 2000-01 to play grade cricket. He duly won the prestigious Jack Ryder Medal, and came close to making an Ashes debut at Perth in 2002-03. However, despite his late role in the 2005 Ashes he still seemed destined to be a fill-in player. But at Lahore that winter he stuck 96 and 80 before hitting a brilliant maiden century at Nagpur with England in the middle of an injury crisis. If Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had been available he wouldn't have played: instead he kicked on to become the rock of England's batting on the subsequent Ashes tour. His brilliant double-century at Adelaide ought to have been the defining moment of his career. Instead it was the preamble to one of the most devastating defeats in English Test history. But after an understandable period of introspection, Collingwood bounced back with back-to-back one-day centuries to secure the CB Series. It was England's first overseas one-day trophy for nine years, and his subsequent appointment to the captaincy in June 2007 was met with unanimous approval. He cemented the role with memorable victories over India at home and Sri Lanka away, but the 2008 season was less of a triumph.

Back-to-back series defeats against New Zealand were capped by a four-match ban for slow over-rates, and all the while his Test form crumbled. He was dropped for the first time in two years for the Headingley Test against South Africa, only to be recalled - in spite of a total of 92 first-class runs in nine innings - for the very next match. He duly celebrated with his sixth Test hundred, a triumph of will after failing in the first innings. However, two days later he followed Michael Vaughan's lead by resigning the one-day captaincy to concentrate on his own form.

He nevertheless took back the reins for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009, a decision that didn't look too prudent when England were embarrassed by the Netherlands in the opening match of the tournament. However, England recovered their poise with victories over Pakistan and India, and moved onto their next assignment - the Ashes - with their momentum more or less intact. They were swiftly up against it, however, as Australia posted their highest score against England for 75 years, but Collingwood led them out of danger with typical determination, producing a backs-to-the-wall 74 that helped to change the course of the series.
Andrew Miller October 2009

May 3, 1996
Impressive allround first-class debut
• Collingwood, aged just 19, yorks David Capel with his first ball in first-class cricket. He cracks his maiden first-class fifty the next day, eventually falling just nine runs short of a century on debut.
  
June 7, 2001
An inauspicious first appearance in England colours
• Collingwood's England debut came against Pakistan in the first match of the NatWest Series at Edgbaston. It was a forgettable start, as his two overs disappeared for 19, and he was trapped lbw by Abdul Razzaq for just two, as England slid to a 108-run defeat.
  
February 20, 2002
Swings England to victory against New Zealand
• Collingwood's bowling has always been secondary to his batting, but after some hard work developing his bowling action he produced a matchwinning display of swing bowling to demolish New Zealand in the third one-day game at Napier.
  
Read All »
Showing 1 of 6 Next
December 20, 2002
Maiden ODI hundred
• In Australia in 2002-03 he started the VB Series as 12th man, but soon confirmed his place in the 2003 World Cup squad with a memorable maiden century in the fourth match against Sri Lanka at Perth.
  
December 2, 2003
Brigadier Block is born
• Makes his Test debut, in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Galle. In a foreshadowing of some typically obdurate rearguard innings to come, he grinds his way to 36 off 153 balls in the second innings, as England cling on for a draw.
  
June 21, 2005
Singlehandedly conquers Bangladesh with allround brilliance
• In the fourth match of the NatWest series, his unbeaten 112 backs up Andrew Strauss's 152 to launch England to unassailable 391 for 4, and he then cuts through Bangladesh's middle order to finish with 6 for 31.
  
Read All »
Showing 2 of 6 Prev Next
September 12, 2005
Plays his part in cracking the Aussie aura
• His third Test in almost two years was the single biggest match of his generation - the decisive fifth Test against Australia at The Oval, where his responsible batting helped secure the draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18 years.
  
March 2, 2006
Comes of age as a Test batsman
• A maiden Test century comes in his sixth Test, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 134 against an Indian attack containing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at Nagpur. Importantly, the hundred came at a time when England were in the middle of an injury crisis. If Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had been available he wouldn't have played: instead he kicked on to become the rock of England's batting on the subsequent Ashes tour.
  
December 2, 2006
The best of times, the worst of times
• This brilliant double-century in the second Test of the Ashes series at Adelaide ought to have been the defining moment of his career. Instead it was the preamble to one of the most devastating defeats in English Test history. "It really took the guts out of us as a team - and certainly as an individual, it took the guts out of me," he later admitted.
  
Read All »
Showing 3 of 6 Prev Next
February, 2007
One-day hundreds and CB glory
• His third and fourth ODI hundreds set up victories against New Zealand and Australia at the Gabba and Melbourne, while his 70 in the second final at Sydney seals England's first overseas one-day trophy for nine years.
  
June 22, 2007
Appointed England's one-day captain
• Collingwood is unveiled as England's new one-day captain, at the head of a new-look squad. After a promising start with series victories against India at home and Sri Lanka away, struggles to make his presence felt and his form begins to suffer. He would only last a year in the role.
  
June 26, 2008
Controversy at the Oval
• The fourth one-dayer against New Zealand at the Oval will probably be remembered for controversial, rather than cricketing, reasons. With 26 needed from 39 balls, Kyle Mills called Grant Elliott for a sharp single. As Elliott bolted out of the blocks he collided with Ryan Sidebottom, and fell to the ground. Ian Bell threw the ball to Kevin Pietersen, who broke the stumps, but England did not withdraw their appeal despite the umpire, Mark Benson, offering Collingwood the chance to think again. 'In hindsight I wish I had called him back,' he confessed after the game. Further setbacks followed as Collingwood picked up a four-game suspension for a slow over-rate.
  
Read All »
Showing 4 of 6 Prev Next
August 3, 2008
Resigns from one-day captaincy
• Collingwood's time as England one-day captain came to an end on the same day as Michael Vaughan's Test reign. He said he'd stepped down after feeling the captaincy was affecting his performances.
  
July 12, 2009
The 'tenacious little redhead' does it again
• Spurred on by memories of that Adelaide drubbing, Collingwood's determined, limpet-like second innings 74 in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff lasted 245 balls, and more importantly, 344 minutes. Famously, England's last wicket pair of Monty Panesar and James Anderson then clung on for 69 balls for an unlikely draw that held Australia at bay and helped change the course of the series.
  
December 20, 2009
And again...
• Five months later he was at it again, defying a rampant Friedel de Wet and a South African attack bowling with their tails up after England's dramatic collapse on the final afternoon of the first Test at Centurion for more than two-and-a-half hours .
  
Read All »
Showing 5 of 6 Prev Next
January 7, 2010
And again...
• And yet again, two Tests later Collingwood saved England's bacon with an awe-inspiring demonstration of obstinacy at the crease in the third Test at Cape Town. As the ball-tampering row raged on, his 40 stretched over four-and-a-half hours and showcased "the lowest backlift in the world" to put the focus back on the cricket and set up a breathtaking finale to the Test.
  
Read All »
Showing 6 of 6 Prev