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England’s Paul Collingwood celebrated his 100th one-dayer with an effective bowling display against Pakistan here at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Collingwood, 30, got 2-23 including the prized scalp of Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq to help England restrict the tourists for a paltry 154-9 in the final one-dayer. The Durham all-rounder became one the 12th Englishman to play 100 one-dayers, joining an elite group that includes England legends Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and David Gower.

On the eve of reaching the milestone, Collingwood confessed he never believed reaching this far in international cricket. He made a tentative entry to international cricket with the Natwest Series involving Pakistan and Australia during which he played four matches and made only 20 runs besides conceding 49 runs from 7.1 overs. “It took me a hell of a long time to get used to international cricket,” Collingwood said in an interview. “It was a shock to the system and I’ll always remember it,” he added.

But slowly, he established himself as a reliable all rounder for both Tests and one-dayers and recently had a great series at home against Pakistan. Collingwood who began as his debut against Pakistan at Edgbaston was pleased to play his 100th ODI against the same opposition and at the same venue. “It’s quite ironic how it’s come around full circle because I also made my debut against Pakistan at Edgbaston, but I really don’t think I’ll really appreciate what it’s all about until I finish my career and look back at it all,” he said.

It turned out to be a memorable bowling performance for him as he got rid of the dangerous Inzamam before sending Abdul Razzaq back to the pavilion for his 50th ODI wicket.

Collingwood is just the 12th England player to feature in a 100 ODI matches. It is a small group considering the fact that 24 Pakistanis and a similar number of Indians have played a 100 or more one-dayers. A total of 19 Australians, 16 Sri Lankans and even 13 South Africans, who were readmitted in 1991-92, have played 100 One-day Internationals (ODI).

Source:The News