A natural athlete with a happy-go-lucky temperament, Paul Collingwood became the first England captain to ever deliver a global tournament when England beat Australia to win the 2010 World Twenty20. It was reward for nine years of uncomplaining professionalism, in which time he fought his way through a melee of seemingly more talented opponents to make himself indispensable in both forms of the game.

Collingwood's greatest asset is ability to contribute to the team in several aspects. As a batsman, he stands still at the crease, plays the ball straight and has a tantalising range of strokes up his sleeve. His bowling verges towards the dibbly-dobbly, but given the right conditions he can be irresistible, as he proved with a matchwinning display of swing bowling in the third one-day game against New Zealand in 2001-02. As a fielder, he is one of the finest in the world, capable of breathtaking moments in the covers and backward point.The final tick in his column is his determination, which made him go to Melbourne in the winter of 2000-01 to play grade cricket when he realised he was treading water.

For the first few years in his international career he seemed destined to be a fill-in player. But at Lahore in the 2005 winter, he stuck 96 and 80 before hitting a brilliant maiden century at Nagpur with England in the middle of an injury crisis. He kicked on to become the rock of England's batting on the subsequent Ashes tour. His brilliant double-century at Adelaide ought to have been the defining moment of his career. Instead it was the preamble to one of the most devastating defeats in English Test history. But after an understandable period of introspection, Collingwood bounced back with back-to-back one-day centuries to secure the CB Series. It was England's first overseas one-day trophy for nine years, and his subsequent appointment to the captaincy in June 2007 was met with unanimous approval. He cemented the role with memorable victories over India at home and Sri Lanka away.

A slump in form in 2008 led to his omission from the Test team and his resignation as ODI captain, but he took back the reins for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009, a decision that didn't look too prudent when England were embarrassed by the Netherlands in the opening match of the tournament. However, less than a year later England had developed into a ruthless power-packed Twenty20 side. Led by Collingwood, their blend of fearless hitting with dynamite fielding and thoughtful bowling brushed aside all challenges as England won the World Twenty20. They got there in style - beating Australia in the final - with Collingwood finishing with the winning runs.

A difficult summer followed, where Collingwood struggled to come to terms with the seam and swing of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. His batting form failed to improve during England's historic Ashes success the winter after but his fielding remained exemplary - setting the benchmark for England's high standards. In the final Ashes Test in Sydney he dismissed Michael Hussey in the first innings, sparking wild celebrations and with England on the verge of a 3-1 triumph he chose to retire from Test cricket, calling time on a Test successful career which many thought would never happen. He had hoped to keep playing limited-overs cricket for England but a poor World Cup followed the Ashes and he was left out of both England's teams in the first series after.

Andrew Miller

• May 3, 1996
  Impressive allround first-class debut
  • Collingwood, aged just 19, yorks David Capel with his first ball in first-class cricket. He cracks his maiden first-class fifty the next day, eventually falling just nine runs short of a century on debut.
    
• June 7, 2001
  An inauspicious first appearance in England colours
  • Collingwood's England debut came against Pakistan in the first match of the NatWest Series at Edgbaston. It was a forgettable start, as his two overs disappeared for 19, and he was trapped lbw by Abdul Razzaq for just two, as England slid to a 108-run defeat.
    
• February 20, 2002
  Swings England to victory against New Zealand
  • Collingwood's bowling has always been secondary to his batting, but after some hard work developing his bowling action he produced a matchwinning display of swing bowling to demolish New Zealand in the third one-day game at Napier.
    
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• December 20, 2002
  Maiden ODI hundred
  • In Australia in 2002-03 he started the VB Series as 12th man, but soon confirmed his place in the 2003 World Cup squad with a memorable maiden century in the fourth match against Sri Lanka at Perth.
    
• December 2, 2003
  Brigadier Block is born
  • Makes his Test debut, in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Galle. In a foreshadowing of some typically obdurate rearguard innings to come, he grinds his way to 36 off 153 balls in the second innings, as England cling on for a draw.
    
• June 21, 2005
  Singlehandedly conquers Bangladesh with allround brilliance
  • In the fourth match of the NatWest series, his unbeaten 112 backs up Andrew Strauss's 152 to launch England to unassailable 391 for 4, and he then cuts through Bangladesh's middle order to finish with 6 for 31.
    
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• September 12, 2005
  Plays his part in cracking the Aussie aura
  • His third Test in almost two years was the single biggest match of his generation - the decisive fifth Test against Australia at The Oval, where his responsible batting helped secure the draw that England needed for a first Ashes triumph in 18 years.
    
• March 2, 2006
  Comes of age as a Test batsman
  • A maiden Test century comes in his sixth Test, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 134 against an Indian attack containing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at Nagpur. Importantly, the hundred came at a time when England were in the middle of an injury crisis. If Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick had been available he wouldn't have played: instead he kicked on to become the rock of England's batting on the subsequent Ashes tour.
    
• December 2, 2006
  The best of times, the worst of times
  • This brilliant double-century in the second Test of the Ashes series at Adelaide ought to have been the defining moment of his career. Instead it was the preamble to one of the most devastating defeats in English Test history. "It really took the guts out of us as a team - and certainly as an individual, it took the guts out of me," he later admitted.
    
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• February, 2007
  One-day hundreds and CB glory
  • His third and fourth ODI hundreds set up victories against New Zealand and Australia at the Gabba and Melbourne, while his 70 in the second final at Sydney seals England's first overseas one-day trophy for nine years.
    
• June 22, 2007
  Appointed England's one-day captain
  • Collingwood is unveiled as England's new one-day captain, at the head of a new-look squad. After a promising start with series victories against India at home and Sri Lanka away, struggles to make his presence felt and his form begins to suffer. He would only last a year in the role.
    
• June 26, 2008
  Controversy at the Oval
  • The fourth one-dayer against New Zealand at the Oval will probably be remembered for controversial, rather than cricketing, reasons. With 26 needed from 39 balls, Kyle Mills called Grant Elliott for a sharp single. As Elliott bolted out of the blocks he collided with Ryan Sidebottom, and fell to the ground. Ian Bell threw the ball to Kevin Pietersen, who broke the stumps, but England did not withdraw their appeal despite the umpire, Mark Benson, offering Collingwood the chance to think again. 'In hindsight I wish I had called him back,' he confessed after the game. Further setbacks followed as Collingwood picked up a four-game suspension for a slow over-rate.
    
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• August 3, 2008
  Resigns from one-day captaincy
  • Collingwood's time as England one-day captain came to an end on the same day as Michael Vaughan's Test reign. He said he'd stepped down after feeling the captaincy was affecting his performances.
    
• July 12, 2009
  The 'tenacious little redhead' does it again
  • Spurred on by memories of that Adelaide drubbing, Collingwood's determined, limpet-like second innings 74 in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff lasted 245 balls, and more importantly, 344 minutes. Famously, England's last wicket pair of Monty Panesar and James Anderson then clung on for 69 balls for an unlikely draw that held Australia at bay and helped change the course of the series.
    
• December 20, 2009
  And again...
  • Five months later he was at it again, defying a rampant Friedel de Wet and a South African attack bowling with their tails up after England's dramatic collapse on the final afternoon of the first Test at Centurion for more than two-and-a-half hours .
    
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• January 7, 2010
  And again...
  • And yet again, two Tests later Collingwood saved England's bacon with an awe-inspiring demonstration of obstinacy at the crease in the third Test at Cape Town. As the ball-tampering row raged on, his 40 stretched over four-and-a-half hours and showcased "the lowest backlift in the world" to put the focus back on the cricket and set up a breathtaking finale to the Test.
    
• May 16, 2010
  Twenty20 Triumph
  • As England captain, Collingwood hits the winning runs against Australia in Barbados, as England finally secure a global ICC trophy following a brilliant campaign in the World Twenty20.
    
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