England prepare Collingwood for top job with Ashes mission
director of cricket, wants to promote English talent when the job becomes available and, unlike most coaches in county cricket, Collingwood has extensive top-level playing experience around the world.
He has impressed England with his fielding drills and the batsmen speak highly of his ability to give throwdowns both right and lefthanded without the use of the dog-thrower tool used by most coaches. The fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board is looking to tie Collingwood down now, more than six months before the Ashes tour, is a sign of how highly it regards him.
He also brings experience and recent knowledge of playing Test cricket in Australia. Collingwood was part of England’s victorious team in Australia in 2010-11 and played 68 Tests for England, including two Ashes tours. England’s coaching staff has lacked international experience in recent years, particularly those travelling with the Test team. Of the regular members, only Mark Ramprakash, who last played Test cricket 15 years ago, has had a substantial international career. Graham Thorpe is highly regarded but is not keen to tour full time. England would have liked to use Collingwood this summer for the Champions Trophy but he is playing in all formats for Durham. Next week, England will announce the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy and the South Africa one-day series before it. They will also name a 12-man squad for the two matches against Ireland, with Sam Billings in line to take over as wicketkeeper in the absence of Jos Buttler, who misses the series due to his Indian Premier League commitments.
Billings has moved ahead of Jonny Bairstow and is set to play a full role with England in white-ball cricket this summer.
Bairstow deputised for Buttler when he was injured for the oneday series against Pakistan last summer but lost his place in the 50over team during the tour to India this year.
Billings has kept wicket for England only once, in a Twenty20 game against Pakistan in 2015. He is playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and has not taken the gloves despite injuries to their regular keepers.
The selectors will decide over the weekend whether to rest Joe Root for the Ireland series. Mark Wood is likely to return, having not played international cricket since the end of last season.