Colly in top 3 middle order batsmen since 2000
Interesting article giving the statistical analysis behind England's middle order since 2000. Collingwood seems to come in at number 3 in that time, being mentioned behind Graham Thorpe and KP (of those who've played a significant number of games). I offer this as evidence that we shouldn't lose faith in him, however he does at The Oval!
5 comments:
Ditch Colly after The Oval, regardless of how he does there. He is not the future, he has mediocre talent by international standards, and is a block to England's development. I don't deny his dedication to the cause and his stickability, but that's just not enough.
Look at how the Aussies do things - they blood their young talent at 5 or 6, they find their feet and they move up to be world class 3's and 4's. I bet that's the path that North follows...
We put mediocrity at 5 (Colly) and he can never move up from there. So we have to chuck new players like Bell and now Bopara in at 3/4 where they struggle and the danger is that their careers are over before they've begun.
Drop Colly, stick two of Bell, Bopara and Trott at 5/6 before it's too late, and get someone like Key or Ramps in at 3 to tide us over until the young guns have properly found their feet.
The future is to play your best players and with the likes of Tresco and Ramps being called for it shows just how few players there are really challenging.
Collingwood can easily bat 4 and that is the position he has performed best for England, averaging 56. The England management are two games too late in moving him there (Strauss having mentioned that today), but at least they've got there now.
Collingwood isn't pretty, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be picked in future, whether he makes runs at The Oval or not.
The Aussies also aren't afraid of picking veterans and making youngsters wait until they're ready. They didn't see Hussey, Martyn, Lehmann or Clark as blocks to progress when they selected them ahead of younger players.
Anyone who watched Collingwood bat today would see that he's hopelessly ill-equipped to learn from his mistakes (both with the faint nick behind which wasn't given and how he eventually got out, plus generally looking highly exposed to anything just outside off stump). His innings single-handedly created pressure on England when they were well on top. It's not his age that's the problem - it's his mediocrity.
Drop him!
I agreed with Nasser Hussain's assessment that "Paul Collingwood's technique is shot" and the general consensus among the commentators that PC is vulnerable for the drop. And after his failure to get a hand on a chance at slip today and a fumbled runout chance, he can't even fall back on his fielding to save him now.
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