Collingwood swaps his pyjamas for Test whites

Durham right-hander could make Ashes debut if injury-hit England decide to strengthen brittle batting line-up

Paul Collingwood did not expect to be involved in England's plans to win the Ashes, so much so that the Durham batsmen had given away the whites he had been using while playing club cricket in Melbourne.

Collingwood was preparing to don his blue pyjamas in the one-day series which follows the third Test here, but a phone call from injury-stricken England sent him in search of his discarded Test kit. Fortunately, the Richmond team-mates he had given it to were contactable and it is now winging its way to Western Australia. Turning up without your gear would normally get you a fine but in the present circumstances England are just content to have a fit player among their ranks.

Not wishing to be left out, Collingwood has also had recent injury worries. It was with the aim of making up for the cricket he has missed this year that he came to Australia five weeks before the rest of England's one-day specialists. The 26-year-old missed the second half of the summer with a prolapsed disc in his neck which was affecting his right arm.

"I lost about 90 per cent of the strength in my right tricep and had little sensation in my hand for a while," Collingwood said. "I thought at one stage I would need an operation, but after a course of steroids it healed naturally. It is fantastic now."

The feel good factor of being an English cricketer in Australia is low at the moment following heavy defeats in the first two Tests, but this does not concern the right-handed batsman.

"Playing at the same club two years ago was tough but it has been tougher this time around," he said. "They don't give you the lickings of a dog over here and everyone you speak to thinks you are the worst team in the world. I have taken a lot of stick, but now I have a go straight back at them, although I do need an interpreter at times. It has a positive affect on my game."

Collingwood probably owes his selection to the fact that Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, rates him highly. He has impressed with his commitment and attitude in the 25 one-day internationals he has played. However, with an average of under 25 it could hardly be said that he has set the world alight and in two games against Australia he has only scored 18 runs.

As John Crawley is still struggling to recover from the injury to his right hip, Collingwood has a good chance of making his Test debut should England decide to play seven batsmen on Friday.

All areas of England's play will be of concern to Fletcher and his captain, Nasser Hussain, but the way their tail has been blown away four times in a row will give them plenty to think about during the next two days.

Watching England bat it is as though a players' union are in charge – three out, all out – and in Brisbane and Adelaide, England's last six wickets averaged just 46 runs between them. There must be a temptation now to pick seven batsmen and four bowlers in Perth, even though England need the bowling firepower to take 20 wickets.

However, weighting the side with batsmen may not be considered because England do not possess a bowling all-rounder. They have bits-and-pieces cricketers, but not a player who would gain selection for either his batting or his bowling. And bits-and-pieces cricketers rarely win Test matches.

Whether Collingwood plays or not his call-up signifies another pleasing day for England's youngest county. "It is fantastic for Durham to have come as far as we have in the last 10 years," he said. "The ground is being developed all the time and to have two players [Stephen Harmison is the other] is great news for the area.

"Playing Test cricket has been a goal of mine ever since I started playing and this is a great opportunity. It is now up to me to go into the nets and show them what I can do."

Australia have their worries too. The opener Matthew Hayden, who is ranked No 1 in the world, had to leave the field in Adelaide with haemorrhoid trouble and will need painkillers in order to play in Perth.

However, he will get little sympathy from England to whom he has been a constant pain in the backside.