Collingwood retires
It was on the cards, and Paul Collingwood has said that the Sydney Test will be his last. Here's just a couple of the things written about him so far...
On Cricinfo....and on Reverse Sweep. Much more to follow no doubt....
6 January 2011
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3 comments:
Colly has been a good servant to English cricket over a number of years - he's testament to what you can achieve with modest talent, but bucketloads of guts and determination.
I do think he went on a bit too long though and should probably have been dropped before now. I'd have preferred to see Morgan in the team for the Ashes.
But clearly Collingwood contributes to the team in many ways, and I'm sure his team mates will miss him. It's really good that there's competition for places and his departure won't leave a gaping hole in the team for the bigger challenge in the summer v India.
Not the most gifted or anywhere near the best player to play for England, but if every player could squeeze as much from their own ability as he has, the record books would have some far more impressive statistics in them. Thanks Colly, especially for that catch at Perth and the "Brigadier Block" triumverate of Cardiff, Centurion and Cape Town.
I knew you'd be first to comment Allan - as you know we disagree on this!
Morgan would almost certainly have scored more runs in Australia but wouldn't have been able to contribute in the catching and bowling stakes in the same way Collingwood did. And from everything we hear about what goes on behind closed doors, Collingwood would have been supporting Strauss in rallying the rest of the players to respond after the Perth defeat in a way that Morgan couldn't possibly have hoped to have done (through no fault of his own - he may be that person in a few years time). A totally intangible advantage to having him in the team, but the England management obviously consider these things. We've been so dominant in The Ashes that we would have won either way, but perhaps by a lesser margin without Collingwood - no-one will ever know!
I think it's really interesting how age changes the perceptions. A player has a poor run like Alastair Cook did and he has no option but to work really hard and get his footwork sorted - result: an average of over 100 hundred in the Ashes. The same happens to a player reaching the end of his career, and the effort required (with no guarantee of success) to overcome the hurdle seems daunting and retirement becomes the best option.
Gutted to see him go but good luck to him in ODIs and Twenty20s. I'd love to see him take the final catch to win the Sydney Test....
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