Ginger-haired greatness

What a fantastic effort by Collingwood - from one ginger-haired all-rounder to another! It sounds like he still looks in dreadful touch, so his century is surely testament to sheer concentration and determination.

As I've been burbling to anyone who would listen, the very reason we need to keep him in our XI even when he's out of form is that he's capable of hitting centuries playing badly - nobody else has had that ability since Thorpe, Butcher and Hussein. There can be no doubt that he makes 100% use of his abilities - watch and learn, Pietersen! (And after KP's wasteful demise, I love the irony of Colly bringing his ton up with a 6 off Harris when on 94!)

It is remarkable how much pressure we put on our sportsmen when they're struggling. At Edgbaston on Wednesday, the Burble team (and Collingwood) had to look at his paltry 2008 batting average displayed on the big screen in technicolour glory for quite a while, just as the all-rounder was taking guard and beginning his innings. Hardly helpful! Let's hope this century makes the critics get supportive of Colly for a bit at least.