Collingwood ready to take on ODI role
Doubts have been raised over Collingwood's captaincy as he has little previous experience
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Monday, 18, Jun 2007 11:26
Paul Collingwood has admitted he would jump at the chance to take up the captaincy of the England one-day side after Michael Vaughan stood down earlier today.
The Durham batsman has become a mainstay of both the Test and one-day teams since making his international bow in 2001 and is favourite to be made skipper when the squad for the one-day and Twenty20 clashes against the West Indies are confirmed on Friday.
"It's a stressful job, not an easy job, but if I was asked I would be very happy to take it," Collingwood admitted to BBC Five Live.
But the 31-year-old right-hander is not yet taking his promotion to the post for granted.
"There are going to be quite a few names in the hat. We've got some good one-day players in the side and it's up to the selectors in the next few days to decide who the next man for the job is," he said.
A host of former England captains have endorsed Collingwood as the man to take the team on to the World Cup in South Asia in 2011.
"In my opinion, Paul Collingwood is the best man for the job. I know how much it would mean to him to be captain of England," Alec Stewart told BBC Five Live.
The newly-knighted Sir Ian Botham has added his voice to the calls describing Collingwood as "the obvious man" to succeed Vaughan, while Nasser Hussain claimed he would add "positive and energetic direction" to the under-achieving side.
Graham Gooch felt that Collingwood's position as a bedrock of England's middle order was also an advantage.
"His role within the side will fit nicely with leadership. He's had success batting in the middle order, a good place for the leader to assess the situation and play accordingly to see his team home," he said.
While attention focuses on the captaincy issue, one player who definitely will miss out in Friday's one-day squad announcement is Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara.
A thigh injury sustained in his county's match against Middlesex has ruled the 22-year-old out of the limited overs clashes with the West Indies.