With three hundreds and a 96 in his last ten Test innings prior to the West Indies series, Paul Collingwood has re-established himself, yet again, as an England ever-present. Jim Hindson, a long-time admirer of Collingwood, spoke to a reinvigorated cricketer now charged with leading his country’s assault on the ICC World Twenty20.
Article originally published in AOC 57, July 2009

I was sat in my local pub the moment Paul Collingwood saved his Test career, running down the wicket to launch spinner Paul Harris for the six that brought up an emotional century and breathed life into England’s third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston last summer.

When it happened I remember starting to clap, before being punched on the shoulder by an embarrassed girlfriend, who swiftly apologised to the locals, none of whom were watching the match. ‘He works in cricket,’ she muttered, ushering me away.

Collingwood would surely have been dropped if he’d failed for a second time in that game. He was enduring a lean trot. That is the nature of professional sport. But it still didn’t explain why I felt so relieved for him, even elated, on the back of his 135 that day. After all, he’s an unlikely hero. He’s unlikely to make a game-changing run-a-ball Ashes hundred like Pietersen could. He’s unlikely to take three for spit in the ICC World Twenty20 like Andrew Flintoff might. He’s even less likely to be a new-to-the-game 12-year-old’s fave player, is he?

He’s simply not a bums-on-seats kind of performer. Even after his recent prolific form, he is widely recognised as a solid if unspectacular member of the England side. So maybe it’s something else? Maybe it’s because I’ve spoken to him a lot over his time playing international cricket and on the back of that, I rate him as a bloody good interview? Maybe? Maybe not.

As a man, he’s forthright, candid and down to earth, seeing his role in the side pretty much as the rest of us. On top of this, he has a reputation for being dedicated – and I always admire and respect those who put the miles in. But most of all, I reckon it’s because every time he goes on that field, he is operating at full steam. At 100 per cent.
He doesn’t cruise along – whether scoring hundreds or in a run drought. He’s always buzzing around in the field, always batting for his life with that familiar grip and grimace.

It must be exhausting being Paul Collingwood. But refreshingly, he is living proof that you get out of it what you put in. And while his on-field persona may not be as cool as some of his teammates, it is every bit as inspiring.

Let’s start by going back to the first time you were England’s one-day captain. Just how tough was it in the days leading up to your resignation?

I’ve always wanted to play cricket for England. It was the right time to take the captaincy on when I did. I’d cemented my place in the Test side, the one-day side and the Twenty20 side.

As everyone knows, there is a lot to think about when you’re in charge but I felt it began to take my form away in the Test arena. When you get close to thinking ‘I’m going to lose my place’ you have to sacrifice something. It takes a lot of mental energy to lead the side. With the schedules that we have these days to play all three forms of the game, I honestly felt that the captaincy tipped the balance against me.

‘I was probably half an inch from losing my Test spot – perhaps forever’

It came to the crunch and I knew that the match at Edgbaston (third Test v South Africa in 2008) was my last opportunity. I guess it came down to one final chance. Especially after I didn’t score runs in the first innings. I was still very tense and nervous even though I knew at that point I was giving up the captaincy. I don’t think it was until I told my wife – the night before I got the hundred – and also telling Vaughany [the then Test captain, Michael Vaughan] that I felt the pressure was off.

So you’d given up the captaincy before that hundred at Edgbaston then?
Yes. To be honest you can look into whether giving up the captaincy was the whole reason I scored runs – I think it was probably a case of it being my last chance saloon and I just thought, f*** it. Before then, I was tense and thinking of the negatives before going in to bat. But prior to that innings, I remember being my usual self – jovial, cracking jokes, even to the point where I was cutting lookalike pictures out of newspapers and putting them on the toilet wall!

Maybe it was just nervous energy, but I was incredibly relaxed. Because it was such an intense situation, it still feels like yesterday in my mind. I remember Jacques Kallis bowled an away-swinger which I nervously prodded at, playing and missing. I suddenly laughed to myself and thought ‘What are you doing! Just hit the bloody ball for God’s sake…’

And if you’d have got a touch on that Kallis away-swinger?
I was probably half an inch from losing my Test spot – perhaps forever. If I’d nicked it I was knackered, but I didn’t and it put a smile on my face. I then took a real positive attitude and decided all I would concentrate on was scoring runs – it’s when I play best. And the other thing was to do it my way. In my style. Which is getting across to off-stump knowing if I had anything bowled straight at the stumps, I’d whip it. I guess it’s like a default setting – you resort back to what you know best and I continued that approach throughout my innings. I tried to attack Harris [the left-arm spinner] whenever I could and was looking to slog sweep anything wide of off-stump. And even though it was a tense situation to bat in, I thought the best way to score was to attack and thankfully it came off. It’s probably one of the most important moments of my career.

You certainly put the rest of us through an emotional rollercoaster during that innings…
A lot of people from the outside knew what I was going through, know what I’m like and know I put a lot of effort in. It was a hard time, especially having been dropped at Headingley [for the previous Test when England played five bowlers]. But the amount of messages that you get after achieving something like that hundred is extraordinary, and that’s when you realise how many people are supporting you and backing you.

‘One of the worst feelings of my career was that I actually got booed by the Edgbaston supporters’

I look back at it as a selfish moment in my career, but it gave England a chance to win the game and maybe it was a game we should have won. It was the strangest week, horrible in fact, because my batting form had dipped and then I started dropping catches and got panned for 20 off two overs with the ball!

So just how low did you get?
One of the worst feelings of my career was that I actually got booed by the Edgbaston supporters. They must have looked at me and though I wasn’t trying. The boos made me feel as low as you can imagine, I honestly wanted to dig a hole and get swallowed up – it was a hard moment. But on the other hand, when I was batting in that second innings, I pulled Ntini for four and heard the roar of the crowd. They started getting behind me. The support was extraordinary and was probably as simple and easily explained as it being a different crowd from two days before. Everyone was shouting my name, and I never get that kind of support normally! No one wants to watch Colly – they want KP and players like that! It was an amazing feeling and the noise and support got the ball rolling, and took me through to three figures.

And since then it’s been a piece of cake!
I’m not sure about that…

You’ve had three hundreds and a 96…
I know, but that doesn’t mean it’s been plain sailing, I can tell you.

Well, out of those knocks, what would you say has been your best innings in that time?
I think the Chennai match [Collingwood made 108 against India in December last year]. Batting in Indian conditions, the heat was right up there. The other wickets were really flat. Although you obviously have to go out there and score the runs. But in Chennai, we were on a knife-edge situation, where me and Andrew Strauss put together a great partnership [214 for the fourth wicket], on a real turner. In terms of conditions and match situations that was up there.

Cricket is an amazing game. Once you start scoring runs again, the belief you gain makes you stronger in the end. You go through some real lows and hopefully understand yourself better next time so you don’t get into that situation again.

Any disappointments in the last few months?
I would never change anything in my career and the last six months of cricket has been a joy. When you are contributing to the team, you are on cloud nine all the time. I do wish I’d scored a hundred at Barbados, as my local cricket club and my family were out there. It’s a shame I didn’t middle that ball from Filo [Fidel Edwards] instead of screwing it off to point.

What’s it like always being a man under pressure – despite averaging more than the entire commentary team that are saying you’re under pressure. Only Boycott averages more than your 44…

[Laughs] The bar is being raised all the time in sport and maybe averaging 40-odd is not good enough anymore. I’ve always said that if you don’t improve ten per cent each year then you’re going backwards. Now, maybe an average of 45 is when you know you are a good player. I’m not a huge one on stats but if people do look at them it’s good to know they stack up okay.

Did you, Paul Collingwood from Blackfyne Comprehensive School, Durham, ever think you would play 50 Test matches for England?
[Long pause]. Erm… yes and no. I think when I first got into the squad – and then into the side – I thought I would, because I believed I could do it at that level. But when I didn’t start playing regularly until 2005, I thought I’d missed my chance to get a lot of caps under my belt. Although it’s amazing to think how many games you can play if you don’t have an injury or loss of form. When I was a little boy I dreamt of playing cricket for England and to gain 50 caps would be a huge achievement.

‘I’ve always felt strong but last year proved that I wasn’t as mentally tough as what I maybe thought. I thought I was a brick wall of a bloke but discovered I was pretty much like anybody else’

Sat here now, I would back myself to reach 100 Test caps. I feel as fit as I ever have been and that’s part of the game I work on massively. And I feel I’m mentally stronger as well, which is an amazing thing – I’ve always felt strong but last year proved that I wasn’t as mentally tough as I’d maybe thought. I thought I was a brick wall of a bloke but discovered I was pretty much like anybody else. And it does hurt, the criticism, despite what people might think.

But there are areas of my game I’ve improved and hopefully that takes us to another fifty caps. If not, hey, I’ll hold my hands up and be satisfied with the contribution I’ve made. I’ve certainly not lost the ambition or drive to get better and better and keep performing for England.

We’ve come full circle, as you are now England’s Twenty20 captain once again. What do you know about this form of the game – and did you learn anything from your Indian Premier League experience with Delhi Daredevils?
The little bit of experience I’ve had in the IPL has taught me that Twenty20 cricket is all about emotion. And what I mean by that is that’s it’s about energy – 20 overs of being in the field. Where every single person is in the game.

If you can take wickets in the first six overs that’s one of the main ways to stem the flow of runs – so wicket-takers are crucial and hopefully Jimmy [Anderson] Broady [Stuart Broad] and Siddy [Ryan Sidebottom] can swing the ball around and get wickets.

Obviously spin has been crucial in Twenty20 cricket and Swanny has been on the top of his game. The squad we have covers all bases, but ideally we could do with another spinner – someone like Samit Patel. But unfortunately he’s got to learn the hard way about fitness. We have a lot of energy in there and that will be our stamp on the competition – the energy we show when running between the wickets and in the field. I think that can take you a long way.

So even though you were on the bench, the IPL was a good experience beyond making a few quid?
The IPL was amazing. We had a load of matches but still watched all the other games on TV on our days off. It’s an exciting competition and the actual standard was exceptional. You were forever thinking about the game and talking about it. The amount you learnt from some of the world’s best players was brilliant – both on your side and from the other teams – I found the camaraderie awesome.

And the likes of Ravi [Bopara] and Dimi [Mascarenhas] – people who actually played – will have learnt a hell of a lot. It was an exceptional three weeks to be involved in and we’ll take that positive experience into our Twenty20 campaign for England.

So you are up for another crack at being England skipper?
It’s a three-week period and I enjoyed a lot of the job last time. I was looking at the pros and cons, about whether to do the job again, but then thought in the end, ‘I’ve got the opportunity to lead England in a World Cup on home soil’ – it doesn’t really get much better than that, does it?