Fletcher hails 'bits-and-pieces' Collingwood

England coach Duncan Fletcher believes the emergence of Paul Collingwood could herald the return of 'bits-and-pieces' cricketers to the international one-day game.

Durham all-rounder Collingwood produced a fine display of swing bowling to take 4-38 as England chalked up a 43-run win against New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday.

Fletcher compared the 25-year-old to New Zealand's Chris Harris, who recently made his 200th one-day international appearance.

"The most pleasing part about him is that we have stuck by him and given him a chance and he has repaid us by playing very well," Fletcher said.

"We hear a lot about bits-and-pieces players having had their day but maybe that will change.

"If you ask what Harris was like when he first started out he was a bit-and-pieces player but now he is a top quality cricketer because he has been given an opportunity.

TAKING STRIDES

"We are taking strides in the right direction but we have just got to be very careful we don't push him too far. We have to try and change him to help him but we have to be careful we don't push him too hard."

Fletcher believes his side's victory in Napier showed that they have learned from their earlier defeats in the series, particularly the 155-run loss in Wellington where they were bowled out for 89.

"The other day the guys appreciated they had not played well and we chatted about it which is why we showed confidence in them," he said.

"We indicated we did not play too well and told them to put their hands up and restore some pride in their side.

"The ability is there but it's just about getting the experience in one-day conditions. The situation in Napier was no different to the one we were in Christchurch but our judgement of risks was a lot better.

"They learnt from Christchurch and we posted a competitive target which made it difficult for the opposition."

The six specialist Test players will arrive in New Zealand on Saturday with Mark Butcher, Usman Afzaal, Richard Dawson, Warren Hegg, Mark Ramprakash and Jimmy Ormond expected to join their colleagues in Dunedin on Monday.

The one-day series resumes in Auckland on Saturday at Eden Park, before moving for Dunedin for the final game in the series on Tuesday. New Zealand lead the series 2-1.

Mail Cricket Editor