Colly's selection poser

Profiles / Editor / 02 July 2007 / Leave a Comment

Paul Collingwood was full of praise for his bowlers after England beat West Indies by 79 runs at Lord's on Sunday.

And the new one-day skipper admitted there is now a selection dilemma ahead of the game at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Ryan Sidebottom was ruled out of the opening game of the three-match series with a virus, forcing England to field a relatively inexperienced attack of Stuart Broad and Liam Plunkett, alongside Jimmy Anderson.

However, despite posting a sub-par total of 225, England got off to a fabulous start to reduce the Caribbean outfit to 13-4 and there was no way back for the Windies, who were eventually dismissed for 146 inside 40 overs.

Broad finished with figures of 3-20 off nine overs, while Anderson and Plunkett both took two wickets each.

Collingwood now admits that the selectors have a tough decision to make ahead of the second clash, in which England can clinch the series, but he has still called on the side to improve for Edgbaston.

The Durham ace said: "We'll have to assess what our next team is but that's a great thing at the moment, that there is a lot of competition at the moment for certain places and that's great for the England team.

"Jimmy and Liam started off really well and then for Broady to come on and keep that same intensity and pressure on the batsmen was great for such a young guy. There is not a lot of experience from Plunkett and Broad but they were magnificent.

"Broady has got great character, a great head on his shoulders, is a lot more mature than his age, but all the bowlers did themselves credit.

"To have 225 on the board is not a massive total but to keep them down to 145-150 is a top effort.

"The challenge now is to take that level into the next match and for us to continue to improve."

A market for the Edgbaston match will open up nearer the time but England have been understandably well supported to win the series.

Collingwood's men are now just 1.21 to confirm their superiority, having been matched at a high of 2, while the tourists are available at 5.9 and the draw is on offer at 8.4.