England Cricket: Paul Collingwood Accepts His Fate

As the English cricket summer draws to a close, Paul Collingwood has admitted that he is unlikely to ever receive the call from his country again. Following his retirement from Test Match cricket at the end of England's successful Ashes campaign in January, Collingwood has not been called upon to play One Day International or Twenty20 cricket since the end of the World Cup in April.

Yesterday Collingwood said, "I am fairly realistic. Something extraordinary would have to happen for me to get back in the side. We all probably know that my England days are done."

Following such a frank admission, it is to his credit that he will, reluctantly, "...think about announcing my (full international) retirement over the winter".

The ignominy of continuing to make himself available for England despite not being picked is clearly something he does not relish, and he will hope to follow in the footsteps of former England colleague Ryan Sidebottom, who has just enjoyed his most successful season ever in first-class cricket at Yorkshire.

Sidebottom's enjoyment, taken from participating in the game without worrying about selectors looking over him, is something that Collingwood can draw inspiration from. He will, following his signing of a new three-year contract, hope that inspiration can help him lead Durham to some form of silverware in 2012.

Collingwood was never truly established as a member of the England Test team, but has played more games, scored more runs and taken more catches (as a non-wicket keeper) than any other player in ODI cricket for England. He also captained England as they became World T20 Champions, as well as setting a new standard for ground fielding worldwide.

Sadly for him, he has been unable to capture anything like his best form this season for Durham, averaging just under 40 in the County Championship and, more significantly, just 32 in 40-over cricket. If those figures don't sound like too much of a problem, consider the young guns making their way into the England one-day set-up that Collingwood has to compete with for a place in the squad.

Jos Buttler, for Somerset, averaged 195 in 40-over cricket in 2011, while both Ravi Bopara and newcomer Ben Stokes averaged over 50 in the same competition. Combine that with Collingwood's age (35), as well as England's planning for the 2015 World Cup, and it's easy to see why the England selectors have chosen others ahead of him.

As disappointed as he must be as the realisation that he won't be called upon again dawns on him, let's take this opportunity to credit him for having the honesty to admit it. Not only that, but he deserves to be recognised as one of England's finest ever limited-overs cricketers, forming a key part of England's development into a superb fielding unit. He also personifies the toughness and depth of character that England, as a team, have developed over the last two years.

His statistical contribution might not stand up to scrutiny when compared to some of the former greats of English cricket, but his legacy in undeniable. Here's to Colly.