Cricket: Collingwood Tops the Record Charts

Paul Collingwood, as a young boy learning the game, would only in his wildest dreams have imagined he was Viv Richards. But yesterday evening, under the lights at Trent Bridge, he surpassed the Master Blaster by hitting Bangladesh with, statistically anyway, the finest all-round performance in the 2,252- match history of international one-day cricket as England ran out winners by 168 runs.

The Durham man, followed up his century in England's record 391 for four by taking six for 31, the best bowling ever for England. Richards alone, with 119 and five for 41 against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1986-7 had previously made a century and taken five wickets in an innings in the same match.

There was a note of gloom for England, though, with Michael Vaughan, the England captain, making nought and then being forced to leave the field with a groin strain; he is now a doubt to face Australia at the Riverside tomorrow.

Already this has been a remarkable week for one-day cricket and yesterday the two sides produced a match in which records cascaded: the second highest total in any one-day international, beaten only by the 398 for five scored by Sri Lanka against Kenya at Kandy in the 1995 World Cup; the highest total, by 43, conceded by Bangladesh; Collingwood, of course, his partnership of 210 with Andrew Strauss the third highest for England, with the left-hander going on to reach 152, an individual score bettered for England only by Robin Smith, 167 not out against Australia at Edgbaston 12 years ago and David Gower, who made 158 against New Zealand in Brisbane in 1982-3.

Bangladesh, faced with such a challenge, ought by rights to have folded. The day was England's, was it not, the underdog Bangladesh whipping boys once more, the high of Cardiff, just three days since but distant memory, replaced by something altogether more familiar. Instead, on a glorious summer solstice evening, before they succumbed to 223 all out, they gave us Mohammad Ashraful.

On Saturday Ashraful had put Australia to the sword, steering his side to their memorable win with a century and ensuring lasting celebrity in his country. But this was in adversity, Bangladesh facing the second highest total in the history of international one- day cricket and arguably the most ferocious attack in the game. If the force was to be with him, he knew it after one ball, the debutant bowler Chris Tremlett deprived of a hat-trick only by the fickleness of fate that saw Ashraful's first delivery bounce from bat to ground, up on to the top of the wicket and thence to the ground without disturbing the bails.

Thereafter he was as brutal, if not more so, as had been the England batsmen in the first part of the afternoon. Steve Harmison, five-wicket scourge of Australia on Sunday, was hooked for two sixes in his opening over, conceded 19 from it, and withdrew chastened after three overs that cost 37.

Andy Flintoff was similarly pulled and treated with contempt. Ashraful's half-century came from just 21 balls, the eighth fastest in all limited overs internationals, and he looked set for a second century in double quick time.

But having stepped inside a Collingwood delivery and flicked it to the fine-leg boundary to reach 94, he attempted to repeat the stroke next ball, missed and was bowled. In all he had faced 52 balls and hit three sixes and 11 fours. The moment had got to him, and he chastised himself as, with the applause ringing in his ears, he walked through the lengthening shadows, and into the back-slapping pavilion.

By now Collingwood had come to the end of his third over and already conceded 14 runs. Thereafter he reaped the rewards for persistence and a subtle change of tempo, the preferred defence of those without express pace upon which to fall back. His sixth wicket, the one that elevated him to his new found pre-eminence, came with his final delivery.

Earlier, he had played the sort of innings which demonstrated a versatility that hitherto had seemed out of character. Collingwood is England's belt and braces, the finisher who nudges and works the ball, scurrying his singles, and turning them into twos. But, given licence, he swung lustily yesterday, hitting five sixes to go with 10 fours, his second fifty runs coming in just 24 deliveries.

Brett Lee will almost certainly be included in Australia's team to play England at the Riverside tomorrow after reporting no ill effects to his shoulder from five overs in the nets yesterday.