Paul Collingwood

I can't wait to walk out on the field at Edgbaston for the third Test. The atmosphere is absolutely brilliant; the best I have ever experienced in cricket.It is the closest thing you will get to a football crowd, the noise is tremendous. They really get the dressing room going...More

33 comments

It is devastating news for Kevin Pietersen that he is going to miss the rest of the Ashes. He has been trying to play through the pain and manage his Achilles injury, but it has just got worse and worse. From a team point of view, he's a massive player and there is no getting...More

50 comments

It feels brilliant to beat Australia at Lord's for the first time in 75 years. We all knew the stats and the history, but there was a real sense of belief that we could win. Freddie Flintoff was magnificent today. It was real fairytale stuff, announcing his retirement and then getting a five-for to win the game. Thankfully his body is...More

45 comments

We turned up to training as usual this morning, did all the normal things and then the coach said: 'Freddie wants to say a few words.' That's when we found out that Andrew Flintoff is retiring from Tests at the end of the Ashes. It came as a huge surprise to everybody. Obviously he has...More

27 comments

My 74 at Cardiff in the first Test was one of the most satisfying innings I have played. I was desperately disappointed not to bat through to the end, and am delighted that James Anderson and Monty Panesar earned us a draw.It was obviously a different kind of innings for...More

100 comments

I think that England's spin department is stronger than Australia's, and when you have the seamers that we have too, we are looking good in both areas. We are fortunate in having very fine spinners in our squad, with Graeme Swann in exceptional form, and Monty Panesar having also proved...More

25 comments

Michael Vaughan is absolutely the best captain I have ever played under. I do not mean that as a criticism of Andrew Strauss or any of the other skippers I have had, but Vaughany built a formidable team and without him we would not have won the 2005 Ashes. He is a close personal friend and will...More

24 comments

I got into the boxing ring with Olympic gold medallist James DeGale on Thursday, which was a novel experience. He told us we could try and knock him down but he was just too quick, almost impossible to get hold of. The speed at which boxers move is amazing and it was great to...More

3 comments

I've been selected for the England squad for a pre-Ashes camp, and it's always a relief to see your name on the teamsheet. Without wanting to sound overconfident, I always expected to be involved. I have had a good last 10 months in Test cricket, and I have been looking forward for some time to playing...More

20 comments

I have had a few days to reflect on England's exit from the World Twenty20 tournament, and I am not sure whether the Duckworth-Lewis method is well-suited to the 20-over game.We set West Indies a target of 162 at the Oval on Monday, but a rain delay saw this reduced...More

60 comments