Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, who is excited to be the part of World XI tour to Pakistan, revealed he would try his level best, in a bid to contribute to the revival of cricket in Pakistan which has further received the major blow after 2009 terrorist attack on Sri Lankan team bus at the Liberty Chowk in Lahore.
After missing out on the first game on September 12 (Tuesday), the 41-year-old Durham-based Collingwood reminisced when he was on Pakistan tour in 2005 at National Stadium in Karachi, as he felt the gentleman’s game in Pakistan is seen as a religion in the country.
Collingwood added he has enjoyed being in the subcontinent alongside other veterans of the game.
“The last time I came to Pakistan, I understood that cricket in Pakistan is a religion. I experienced that certainly in Karachi in 2005,” Collingwood was quoted as saying by Pakistan media.
As the right-handed batsman, Collingwood has been named in the Playing XI for the second game, during the post-match briefing stated he would give his best during the remainder of the series.
“The passion and the atmosphere that you create in the ground is something special. I am very much looking forward to playing in the game,” Collingwood added.
While talking about the length and breadth of the assembling of players for the World XI, Collingwood stated it eventually takes some time to get used to the conditions while believing in each other as a unit which includes the pep talk from the senior most pro in the side.
“It takes some time to know each other and certainly Faf [du Plessis] understands the players’ role in the team. [However] it’s not to going to gel immediately,” Collingwood remarked.
Collingwood further feels the visit from seven-nation players is seen as a small step toward the resumption of cricket in Pakistan.
“I am very proud, I can tell you right now. I came out of the net session yesterday and it felt like I was playing international cricket again,” Collingwood maintained.
Interestingly, Collingwood is featuring in the international game after a prolonged gap of six years, as the World Series has been already accorded an international status by the world cricket body ICC.
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Collingwood revealed he felt like a fresh player after announcing his retirement from International set-up for England in 2011.
“Felt like a kid at Christmas. I’m 41 years old and to actually have the feeling of being in a Twenty20 International again is something I am very excited about,” Collingwood asserted.
Having the butterflies in the stomach after watching the crowd chanting in favor of the teams, Collingwood felt the intensity of a cricket-loving country, as major cricketing activity returned to the embattled nation after more than two years.
While being on Pakistan tour to participate in the ongoing Independence Cup, Collingwood further understood that fans in Pakistan have a lot on an offer which further urged him to sign the deal with the World XI after witnessing the passionate fans bringing more on the table.
“Obviously, the crowd wasn’t 100% capacity but the noise they make, you can just sense,” Collingwood further added.
Concluding, this story, optimistic Collingwood also reiterated that he is available on the social media network which according to him becomes a valuable tool when it comes to the feedback.
“I am on Twitter. I am on Instagram, so I am already sharing a lot,” Collingwood, who was quoted by Wisden India concluded.
Collingwood featured in 197 ODIs, 68 Tests and 35 T20Is for England. He also bagged 144 wickets across three formats of gentleman’s game.
