SYDNEY – England batsman Paul Collingwood said it was time to move on and give younger players an opportunity as he announced his retirement from Test cricket on Thursday.
Collingwood, 34, has been under increasing pressure to keep his number five batting spot after a dismal run at the crease this Ashes series that has garnered just 83 runs at 13.83. Collingwood chose not to wait until the end of the Sydney Test, which is expected to finish on Friday with a huge England series-clinching victory, and made his announcement to teammates before the start of the fourth day’s play. While he will no longer be a part of Test cricket, Collingwood will remain England’s Twenty20 captain and play for the one-day team, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. “In many ways it’s a sad moment, but I honestly think it’s the right time,” Collingwood said after Thursday’s play.
“This is what I have been playing cricket for to be in a position against Australia, in Australia, like this, and it’s going to be the perfect moment to bow out of Test cricket.” One of the chief beneficiaries of Collingwood’s decision could be Eoin Morgan, 24, who has been on the sidelines during the Australian series.
