Collingwood relishes his return
Paul Collingwood has told of his relief at standing down as England’s one-day captain and insists he is fully behind successor Kevin Pietersen.
The Durham all-rounder has completed his four-match ban for presiding over a slow over rate and goes straight into the side for the second one-day international with South Africa at Edgbaston today.
Collingwood relinquished the one day captaincy on the same day as Michael Vaughan stepped down as Test skipper earlier this month.
Now the 32-year-old is back in the side and looking to regain his form with the bat after admitting the burden of the captaincy had taken its toll.
“It’s nice coming back into the ranks with the opportunity just to concentrate on your own job,” he said. “I know that sounds selfish; but I can be a leader in the ranks anyway by setting the example.
“I found the added responsibility of captaincy very draining. I was always thinking about decisions and game situations. It was taking my form away in Test cricket and that was the last thing I wanted.”
While Collingwood comes into the side, England have been hit by the news that seamer Ryan Sidebottom has been ruled out of the remaining four matches after failing to recover from groin and hip injuries.
With Steve Harmison brought out of one-day retirement to replace him for the victory in the first match on Friday, England are unlikely to make any fresh call-ups.