Top bloke Paul Collingwood. A team man to the last. When it came to saving test matches, Colly was the immovable object. But with the Ashes in the bag, and a crop of young batsmen lining up to take his place, Paul Collingwood instinctively knew when to stand aside.
Colly’s decision to retire from test cricket yesterday was typical of the man. He doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body. Rather than hanging on for a last hurrah, in the vain hope that his form might return and enable him to go out on a personal high, the team’s welfare – and going out on a team high – was all that mattered to him.
As England fans, we will all miss Colly. We won’t particularly miss his runs – his last noteworthy performance was at Cardiff a year and a half ago – but we’ll miss Collingwood the man, and Collingwood the package: his fighting spirit, his influence in the dressing room, and above all his fielding.
We could all name a hundred England batsmen that were more talented than Colly, but can you name one better fielder?
Paul Collingwood will go down in history as an England legend. He’s like cricket’s Nobby Stiles. He wasn’t the prettiest to watch – he wielded the bat like a shovel – but England coaches put their faith in him, and Colly paid them back in spades.
At the start of his career, nobody seemed to rate him. He made his test debut in 2003, but took three years to become a fixture in the side. When he received an MBE after the Ashes triumph in 2005 (after playing just one test in which he scored seventeen runs in two innings) the Aussies made him an object of ridicule.
However, slowly but surely Colly converted the doubters. He made his first ton against India at Nagpur in March 2006, and finally wiped the smiles off Aussie faces (albeit temporarily) with a double century at Adelaide nine months later.
Although Colly played few defining innings in his test career, his mammoth knock at Adelaide showed the world that he could bat. After the Ashes he won the CB series finals against Australia almost singlehandedly with back to back hundreds.
Although his form fluctuated in the test arena, his game saving contributions in South Africa, and then at Cardiff in 2009, earned him the nickname ‘Brigadier Block’. When England went on to win the Ashes, Colly’s status as a fans’ favourite was secure.
The Barmy Army has always taken wholehearted and uncomplicated cricketers to its heart. That’s one of the reasons why Andrew Flintoff and Darren Gough were so loved. Paul Collingwood will never be remembered as fondly Freddy and Dazzler, but he will always be a cult hero of sorts.
After a run of poor scores, England fans rarely called for Collingwood’s head. The media, yes. The Barmy Army, no. It’s because the fans saw Colly as one of them. He’s an honest northern lad, without public school airs and graces, who has worked his way to the top through sheer hard work.
We haven’t seen the last of Paul Collingwood – he’ll surely be a key member of our World Cup squad – but Colly’s departure from the test arena is the end of an era.
It seems fitting, therefore, to give him a proper Barmy Army send off. All together now …
(To the tune of the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’)
Hey Paul
Don’t let me down
You’re a Mackem
But that don’t matter
The moment you step up to the crease,
Our troubles will cease
You’ll make things better better better better better….
Nah Nah Nah nahnahnahnah , COOOOOL LINGWOOD !!!
James Morgan
Collingwood has been a great team player over the last 5 years for England and I have always been a big Colly fan. Whilst his average is lower than the other batsmen, his contribution cannot be underestimated. All good teams in all sports need a mix of skills, temperaments and personalities and a team with 6 KPs would struggle as would a team with 6 Collingwoods. For every Zidane, a team needs a Didier Deschamps and his focus and professionalism has provided a great balance to the flair and aggressiveness provided by other players in the team. I always thought the best partnership for England was when KP (in the Zidane role) batted with Colly (Deschamps) as Collingwood seem to ensure Pietersen played more sensibly. Hope he keeps going in the limited overs teams as he has another good three years in him. He has made the ‘no backlift nudge through midwicket for a single’ shot a legitimate shot for extremely limited players like me!
Collegend! He always thought of England, first, second and last.
Great post James. Yep, typical of Colly to know the right time to step down. Pleased he’s been able to go when he chose to – after all he’s done for England, he didn’t deserve to be unceremoniously pushed out the door.
I suspect he may retire from all international cricket after the World Cup. Maybe one last crack at the IPL megabucks then awaits before going home to the biggest job of them all – captaining Durham.