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. 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.
Andrew Miller July 2007

Awarded the MBE on 31st December 2005
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007

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