Is this the end of the road for Paul Collingwood?

Paul Collingwood has long been a staple of England’s cricket team. He holds the record for one-day international appearances in an England shirt, and only last year he captained the Twenty20 side to World Cup glory.

However, after retiring from test cricket at the end of the Ashes, he was left out of the team for the first one-day international against Australia in Melbourne. His recent poor form may mean there is no way back for the man who still holds the record for the best all-round one-day international performance.

Collingwood is no stranger to being on the brink of being discarded by the national team, but every time he has find a way to persuade the selectors to stick with him, mostly by scoring great centuries or picking up a crucial wicket. His fielding has also set the standard for the modern-day England team, with some of his memorable catches his main legacy.

Collingwood had a poor Ashes series to say the least, and his retirement at the end of the Sydney test match only seemed to spare him from being dropped. However, when this form carried on into the two Twenty20 international, the England selectors have found themselves with no option but to leave him out.

Collingwood's poor Ashes series led to his retirement after the
Sydney test

With only six matches left in the series, he may not have the chance to prove his worth ahead of February’s World Cup. England’s middle order looks very strong, with Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan looking as if they will be very difficult to dislodge when it comes down to their batting compared with Collingwood’s, especially on recent form.

However, after defeat in Melbourne, many commentators have said Collingwood’s medium pace may have come in handy, as England’s five frontline bowlers struggled under the floodlights. James Anderson and Stuart Broad should be back for the World Cup though, and this should strengthen the bowling attack, leaving Collingwood even more out in the cold.

It remains to be seen whether Paul Collingwood will be given the chance to represent his country in the forthcoming World Cup, but seeing him on the podium as part of a winning England team would be a great way for him to bow out of international cricket. 

This article can also be found at worldcricketwatch.com

The auction's over, so what does the IPL have in store this year?

After three seasons full of controversy, the IPL will be back in the spring with two new teams and numerous new players. Last week many players were put up for auction as the teams for the 2011 competition began to take shape. The auction broke previous IPL records, with Gautam Gambhir becoming the most expensive player in the tournaments history.

Hussey and Dhoni will again join forces

Here I will review the auction and preview the teams who will take part-

Chennai Super Kings

Last season: Winners       

Best finish: Winners (2010)       

Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Star Man: Mike Hussey

Hidden Gem: Ravichandran Ashwin

Chennai have always been one of the most impressive sides in the IPL, and 2011 looks like it will be no different. They chose to keep hold of the likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel, whilst they have bought back Mike Hussey and Doug Bollinger. Added to the squad are Dwayne Bravo and Ben Hilfenhaus amongst others, whilst the off-spin of Ravichandran Ashwin could be critical if Chennai are again going to challenge for honours.

Pietersen will turn out for Deccan in 2011

Deccan Chargers

Last season: 4^th place

Best finish: Winners (2009)

Captain: TBA

Star Man: Kevin Pietersen

Hidden Gem: Shikhar Dhawan

After a disastrous campaign in 2008, the Chargers have impressed in the past two campaigns. However, the side has this year gone through a mass change of personnel, with the like of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and VVS Laxman all being let go. Kevin Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Cameron White and Kumar Sangakkara have been brought in, and if they can obtain some good young Indians, then they could again be challengers.

Sehwag will have a massive
job to do for Delhi to do well

Delhi Daredevils

Last season: 5^th

Best finish:  Semi-finalist (2008, 2009)

Captain: Virender Sehwag

Star Man: Virender Sehwag

Hidden Gem: Colin Ingram

Delhi have always been one of the most dangerous sides in the IPL, and with Virender Sehwag at the top of the order, they always have a good chance of scoring large amounts of runs. However, during last week’s auction they failed to sign any massive names, with Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan arguably the biggest. This season could be a struggle for the Daredevils.

Gilchrist has left Deccan to
captain Kings XI

Kings XI Punjab

Last season: 8^th

Best finish: Semi-finalists (2008)

Captain: Adam Gilchrist

Star Man: Adam Gilchrist

Hidden Gem: Piyush Chawla

Kings XI were originally thrown out of the competition along with the Rajasthan Royals, but were brought back in after a court ruling. After finishing bottom last season, they could well struggle again after only making a small number of signings. Adam Gilchrist will captain a side including Stuart Broad and David Hussey, but will need some good young Indians to mount any type of challenge.

Muralitharan will turn out for new
team Kochi

Kochi IPL Team

Last season: N/A

Best finish: N/A

Captain: Mahela Jayawardene

Star Man: Muttiah Muralitharan

Hidden Gem: Ravindra Jadeja

Kochi are one of the two new sides in this year’s IPL, and have managed to acquire many big name players from around the world. The capture of Muttiah Muralitharan is the headline grabber, but VVS Laxman, Brendon McCullum and Sreesanth will all have to perform key roles if Kochi are going to do well in their debut season.

Gambhir attracted the highest price
at the recent IPL auction

Kolkata Knight Riders

Last season: 6^th

Best finish: 6^th (2008, 2010)

Captain: TBA

Star Man: Jacques Kallis

Hidden Gem: James Pattinson

Kolkata have the worst record out of all the eight original IPL teams, but this year splashed the cash, breaking the IPL auction record by buying Gautam Gambhir for $2.4million. Further signings of Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan mean the Knight Riders could find themselves in the latter stages of the competition for the first time.

Tendulkar will again lead Mumbai

Mumbai Indians

Last season: Runners-up

Best finish: Runners-up (2010)

Captain: Sachin Tendulkar

Star Man: Sachin Tendulkar

Hidden Gem: Davy Jacobs

Mumbai could be the team to watch in 2011, with Sachin Tendulkar again leading a side which consists of previous IPL stars Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard. Andrew Symonds’ signing will also excite the Mumbai fans, whilst South African wicket-keeper Davy Jacobs performed well in the 2010 Champions League.

Smith has moved from Rajasthan to Pune

Pune Warriors

Last season: N/A

Best finish: N/A

Captain: Yuvraj Singh

Star Man: Graeme Smith

Hidden Gem: Callum Ferguson

Pune are the second of the new sides for this year’s IPL, and have equipped themselves well for a challenge on a debut title. Graeme Smith, Robin Uthappa, Jesse Ryder and Yuvraj Singh are all excellent Twenty20 players, whilst Callum Ferguson and Wayne Parnell add the exuberance of youth to the side. They could cause a few surprises.

Watson will be key to
Rajasthan's chances

Rajasthan Royals

Last season: 7^th

Best finish: Winners (2008)

Captain: Shane Warne

Star Man: Shane Watson

Hidden Gem: Johan Botha

After the recent auction, Rajasthan only have a squad of eight men, meaning they are going to have to rely on young Indian players to step up to the mark. They are again led by Shane Warne, and the all-round talents of Shane Watson and Paul Collingwood may still not be enough for them to mount a serious challenge.

De Villiers has the potential to
score big runs in IPL 4

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Last season: 3^rd

Best finish: Runners-up (2009)

Captain: TBA

Star Man: AB De Villiers

Hidden Gem: Cheteshwar Pujara

Bangalore are almost a totally new team compared to the team that appeared in the opening three seasons. Zaheer Khan, AB De Villiers, Daniel Vettori and Dirk Nannes have all been brought in as the Royal Challengers chase a first IPL title. Young Indians Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli will be hoping to impress their national selectors with some good performances. 

Are Australia ready for a World Cup defence?

With the Ashes over, Australia are now turning their attention towards the One-Day series with England and the World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh which follows the series in February. With World Cup squads having to be named in a week’s time, Australia’s selections for the opening one-day games against England have given us a few clues surrounding what team will be on the plane to the sub-continent.

Starting with the openers, it would only take a serious injury for Shane Watson not to open the batting. The limited overs format suits his hard hitting style and he will have to perform if Australia are to retain the trophy they have held for 12 years.  His medium pace bowling could also come in handy on the slow, low pitches that can be found on the sub-continent.

Since Adam Gilchrist burst onto the international scene, many teams now have a wicket-keeper as their opening batsman in the 50-over format. Since Gilly’s retirement Australia have continued this tradition and this doesn’t seem likely to change given their recent selection. Brad Haddin is the only man in the squad who could realistically open the innings. He seems to have been given the nod over Tim Paine, although both could make the trip to Asia.

Despite his lack of form, I would be very surprised if Ricky Ponting wasn’t batting at number three when he returns from his finger injury. However, for the time being it looks as if David Hussey will take the captain’s place in the side. Hussey averages less than 30 in his 23 one-day internationals, but a good performance against England could give Ponting some sleepless nights.

The rest of the middle-order almost picks itself, with Michael Clarke, Cameron White and Mike Hussey unlikely to be dislodged before cricket’s premier tournament. The likes of Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja could gain places in the squad, but are unlikely to make the team unless there are injuries.

Michael Clarke will head up Australia's middle order

The make up of the rest of the team is still a mystery. Many may predict that Steve Smith will bat at seven due to his leg spin bowling, which should come in handy on the spinning wickets of the sub-continent. Whether he will take up that position for the England series is yet to be seen.

The other bowlers who have been named in the squad have everything to play for. Mitchell Johnson’s lower order batting will most probably see him into the side, whilst Shaun Tait’s pace is almost unrivalled in world cricket.

Shaun Tait should figure in Australia's World Cup bid

The third seamer’s position looks as if it will be fought out by Peter Siddle and Doug Bollinger. Despite Siddle’s impressive Ashes series, Bollinger seems to be more in favour with the selectors when it comes to the one-day game.

The one position which has gained the most headlines is that of the spinner. Nathan Hauritz’s inclusion shows that he is still on the selectors’ radar, despite him being overlooked for the Ashes series. He will fight for his position with the much maligned Xavier Doherty, who wins a place in the squad after impressing in the one-day matches against Sri Lanka, which preceded the Ashes.

With seven matches to choose the right combination of players to retain the trophy, Australia’s selectors have a big job to do. The squad they have picked shows that are willing to back players who are tried and tested, and only time will tell whether this will reap the rewards of a fourth consecutive World Cup.

This article can also be found at worldcricketwatch.com