Paul Collingwood

Paul David Collingwood (born 26 May 1976) is an English cricket coach and former player, who played in all three formats of the game internationally for England.

He played for Durham County Cricket Club.

Paul Collingwood signed for Durham, his local county cricket side, in 1995, playing first in List A one-day cricket.

When he first came to Durham's attention, Collingwood was regarded "as a bowler who batted a bit".

His first-class debut was in 1996 and he made his first appearance for England in One Day International cricket in 2001 and made his Test match debut in 2003.

Collingwood made his first–class debut against Northamptonshire in 1996, at Durham's Riverside Ground.

He made an immediate impression by taking the wicket of former England all-rounder David Capel with his first ball, and scoring 91 in his first innings.

However, his early years as a first-class player were characterised by steady and relatively modest performances with bat and ball: in each season from 1996 to 2000, his batting average was between 20 and 30 and his bowling average was between 30 and 60.

His breakthrough began in 2000, when he was voted Player of the Year by the Durham members, particularly for his one-day efforts.

His form varied following a back injury, but he hit his stride in 2001, when he excelled both in the County Championship and in the one-day game.

For two years he remained an occasional Test player but after selection for the final Test of the 2005 Ashes, he secured a regular place.

His 206 during the 2006–07 Ashes was the first double century by an England batsman in Australia for 78 years and in a match that England lost.

A series of three consecutive match-winning performances by Collingwood at the end of the 2006–07 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia brought him enthusiastic approval in the British media.

His "allround display of incredible nerve and tenacity" helped to secure the trophy for England.

According to coach Geoff Cook's 2006 assessment it was Collingwood's determination, rather than his talent, that shone through.

Paul had talent... but I don't think he had any more [talent] than a number of lads who came through with him at the time...He had terrible luck with his back, he missed an awful lot of cricket, and a lesser character could well have decided to call it a day.

To his credit, Paul came back and worked harder than he'd ever done before.

He couldn't bowl as much at the start, so he did an awful lot more batting and, straight away, there were obvious signs of talent there.

By the time he forced his way into the Under-19 team he was batting at the top of the order and the following year he was offered a professional contract.

Collingwood was a regular member of the England Test side and captain of the One Day International (ODI) team (2007–2008).

He was the first T20I captain for England.

He currently lives in Northumberland, divorced from former wife Vicky, whom he married in February 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa, and their three daughters Shannon (born September 2006), Keira (born 24 February 2008),

As captain, he led the England team to win their first ICC trophy, the 2010 World Twenty20, and scored the winning run in the final.

He captained his county club, Durham County Cricket Club, for the final six seasons of his career.

A batting all-rounder, whose batting combined natural strokeplay with great tenacity, Collingwood also bowled reliable medium pace.

Described as a "natural athlete", he was regarded as one of the finest fielders of his time, usually fielding at backward point or at third or fourth slip in Tests; he also deputised as wicket-keeper for England.

He announced his retirement from Test cricket in January 2011, during the fifth Test of the 2010–11 Ashes series.

He finished on a high, becoming a three-times Ashes winner as England won a series in Australia for the first time in 24 years, with three innings victories contributing to a 3–1 win.

and Hannah Mae (born 9 February 2011).

He is a big fan of Sunderland AFC.

His nicknames are 'Colly', 'Weed' ‘Brigadier Block’ and 'Shep'; Brigadier Block being a nickname given to him by Nasser Hussain for his ability to play defensive shots, and the latter is an apparent homage to the famous Blue Peter Collie dog, Shep.

He was part of the coaching team for Scotland and for Durham CCC, before joining the staff of the England Cricket Team in 2014 as a limited-overs specialist and fielding coach.

In February 2022, he was named interim head coach of the men's England cricket team.

Collingwood was born and brought up in Shotley Bridge, near Consett, County Durham, by parents David and Janet, along with his elder brother Peter, and was educated at Blackfyne Comprehensive School, now known as Consett Academy.

Introduced to cricket "on the playing fields of Blackfyne Comprehensive School", Paul was able to "force his way into Shotley Bridge's Under–13s team at the age of just nine".

As a teenager, his father, who still remains a member of the Shotley Bridge Cricket Club, persuaded him to give up football and concentrate on cricket.

Collingwood still makes regular visits to his old cricket club: "...he is a brilliant role model for the kids and his success is an inspiration to follow...".

He retired from first-class and List A cricket in September 2018.

Having retired from playing, Collingwood moved into coaching.

Until May 2019, he was England's most capped ODI cricketer and was, until surpassed by Ian Bell in 2015, the leading ODI run scorer.