Paul David Collingwood MBE (Order of the British Empire) (born 26 May 1976) is an English (England) cricketer. He is a regular member of the England (English cricket team) Test (Test cricket) side and was captain (Captain (cricket)) of the One Day International team from 2007, resigning on Sunday 3 August 2008, and the current England Twenty20 captain. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club.Cite web url=title=Paul Collingwood player profile publisher=Cricinfo accessdate=2007-02-15Cite book title=The Cricketers Whos Who publisher=Queen Anne Press year=1997 page=122Cite web url = title = Collingwood named one-day captain accessdate = 2007-06-22 author = BBC Sport date=2007-06-22 Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting (batting (cricket)) combines natural strokeplay with great tenacity. He also bowls reliable medium pace (swing bowling). Described as a "natural athlete", he is also regarded as one of the finest fielders (Fielding (cricket)) of his time;Cite web url=title=Paul Collingwood player profile publisher=Cricket Web accessdate=2007-02-15. He usually fields at backward point or in the slips, but in 2009, in the second Test against the West Indies, Collingwood substituted for an injured Matt Prior as wicket keeper, the first time he had done so in first-class cricket.

His first class (first-class cricket) debut was in 1996, and he made his first appearance for England in One Day International cricket in 2001 and in Test cricket in 2003. For two years he remained an occasional Test player, but after selection for the final Test of the 2005 Ashes, he secured a regular place. His 206 during the 2006-07 Ashes (2006-07 Ashes series) was the first double century by an England batsman in Australia for 78 years. A series of three consecutive match-winning performances by Collingwood at the end of the 2006–07 Commonwealth Bank Series (2006-07 Commonwealth Bank Series) in Australia brought him enthusiastic approval in the British media. His "allround sic display of incredible nerve and tenacity" helped to secure the trophy for England.Cite web url=journeyman arrivesauthor=Andrew Millerpublisher=Wisden Cricketers Almanackaccessdate=2007-02-16 He has continued as a regular ODI player for England, and is now Englands most ODI capped cricketer, overtaking Alec Stewarts record for appearances (170 in 2nd ODI) against South Africa on 22 November 2009.