Sydney, Jan 3 (IANS) Struggling with form in the ongoing Ashes series, England middle-order batsman Paul Collingwood has admitted that the fifth Test in Sydney could be his last.
Collingwood, playing his 67th Test, has made 70 runs in the series. He acknowledged it will be difficult to be in the side if he does not score here.
‘My form during this series and most recently my latest failure in the fourth Test in Melbourne means the subject of my Test future was bound to be raised sooner or later,’ Collingwood was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.
‘I am obviously disappointed with the series I have had with the bat so far. I can’t get away from the fact that scoring runs is my job in the side, so I won’t hide away. I have still got a lot of fight left in me. I honestly feel as fit as I have ever been. I am enjoying Test cricket and playing for England more than I ever have done and our success, and if you are enjoying it why would you give it up?’ Collington said.
‘But on a personal level, this is a big week for me in Sydney. I am at the crossroads and what happens in the final Test may well determine what direction I go in.’
‘I am sure by the end of this Test, I will know more myself and be better able to judge what the general feeling is in terms of where I am as a Test player and the contribution I can still make to the England team in future and what is the best way forward,’ he said.
‘The desire within me to go out and score a hundred against Australia in Sydney, help the team to a 3-1 win and crack on is still strong.’
‘Yet, at the same time, I understand the arguments 100 per cent and I understand there are other batsmen after my spot.’
‘And the bottom line is that, at my age, if you are not scoring runs yourself you do not deserve a place in the side,’ he said.
Collingwood, however, still remains an integral part of the one-day and Twenty20 side and most famously led England to victory in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last May.
