Generated with Avocode. Generated with Avocode.
3rd August 2008

Collingwood stands down as England captain

The England selectors are set to name Paul’s successor as England ODI captain, along with the England squad for the NatWest Series, tomorrow (Monday) at Lord’s at 1pm.

Paul Collingwood said: “I’ve made the decision to step down as England’s one-day captain as I want to give myself the best chance to perform for England and enjoy my cricket.

“Whilst I am humbled to have been given the opportunity to captain England’s one-day side, I feel the captaincy diminished my ability to perform for England across all forms of the game. I feel the England captaincy impacted on my ability to enjoy my cricket and contribute to the team.

“I’ve always enjoyed representing my country at the highest level and it has always been my ambition to play cricket, across all forms of the game, but I’ve found the extra workload of the captaincy to be very difficult. The last thing I want is for the captaincy to impact my performance and that of the teams which is why I’ve arrived at this decision after a huge amount of consideration.

“I will continue to make myself available to England for all forms of cricket and look forward to playing a significant role in England’s future success.”

Hugh Morris, Managing Director of England cricket, said: “Paul Collingwood has informed the selectors today that he will be standing down as England’s One-Day captain.

“Paul feels this is the best decision in terms of benefiting the England team and his contribution to the team, across all forms of the game.

“He will continue to make himself available for all forms of cricket and we expect him to play a significant role with the England side.

“We are extremely grateful for the way in which Paul has led the England one-day side since his appointment last year. The team has made real progress under his leadership and he will continue to be a valuable member of the England set up.”