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Adam Voges' Australia call for Ashes doesn't surprise Collingwood

Paul Collingwood training with Durham
Image: Collingwood: Voges Australia call up no surprise

Former England batsman Paul Collingwood says he is not surprised that Australia have called up 35-year-old Adam Voges for their squad to play England in the Ashes series this summer.

Western Australian captain Voges, voted the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year, has been given the nod alongside Pakistan-born spinner Fawad Ahmed for the tour which begins in Cardiff on July 8, live on Sky Sports.

Collingwood knows Middlesex captain Voges well from the County Championship and says his inclusion in the squad shook not come as a shock given his form and wealth of experience.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Collingwood told Sky Sports News HQ. “I’ve been involved with Perth quite a lot in the past as well and I know the impact he’s had at Western Australia and he’s obviously a very good batsman.

Look at Sangakkara and Jayawardene. You just see the experience is making them better players and it’s no surprise Adam Voges is in the squad.
Paul Collingwood

"He knows his game very well at this age and he keeps performing and that’s the main thing; that’s what selectors look for. Batsmen these days seem to be getting better and better the older they get.

"Look at Sangakkara and Jayawardene throughout the world. You just see the experience is making them better players and it’s no surprise that Adam Voges is involved in the squad.”

Notable absentees from the Australian party include fast bowler James Pattinson and World Cup winning all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, and while he reckons Voges’ inclusion in the squad is well merited, Collingwood admitted he knows 'next to nothing' about 33-year-old Ahmed who was chosen ahead of young spinner Ashton Agar.

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'Strong squad'

Ahmed steered Victoria to Sheffield Shield glory and was the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 48 at 24.85, including a record-breaking 8-89 in the first innings of the Shield final against Western Australia.

Collingwood noted the strength of the Australia squad but said it is important England use the months before the Ashes to rebuild their confidence.

“I know absolutely nothing about him,” Collingwood said of Ahmed. “I know he’s a leg spinner and that’s pretty much it but it looks a very strong squad, let’s be honest. They are very confident at the moment as well, Australia.

“Naturally as the game is moving forward, even in Test cricket, people are becoming more dynamic and the game is getting more explosive and Maxwell is a confident player, certainly a player who could change a Test match in a session.

"But they are pretty solid team there. Nathan Lyon did a good job with the ball over the years so they are obviously sticking with him and think the leg spinner can come in and do a good job.

“There are a few months before the Ashes and it gives the opportunity for England to get some confidence behind their backs, to go to the West Indies and play some good cricket out there and they’ve obviously got New Zealand before then, so a lot can happen before the Ashes.”

As England now look to re-build following a disastrous World Cup campaign, Collingwood said it was important to remember some of their recent Test match results as they go into the Ashes as underdogs against the Aussies.

He said: “At the moment we are coming off the backlash of the one-day form of the game. England have obviously underperformed in that format but over the years they have been very solid in the Test match arena. Obviously the Ashes was a huge blip for them but they’ve had some great results over the past few years.

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Australia have named their squad for this summer's series with the side looking to retain the Ashes

'Confidence'

“Going to India and getting a result out there is probably one of the hardest places you can go and play Test cricket so let’s not go overboard on England’s Test form. I think it’s been pretty good over the years and we have some very good Test cricketers who, in English conditions, are going to be very hard to beat.

"So, as I said, they need their confidence levels back up before the Ashes and I think it should be an excellent Ashes series.”

However, Collingwood admitted that it was important to follow the example of World Cup finalists Australia and New Zealand when it came to the one day game, and to learn from their aggressive approach.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what the other teams were doing,” he said. “If you look at New Zealand, if you look at Australia, the best sides in the world and the ones who got to the final, they are very, very aggressive in the way they play and that’s with the ball and they look to take wickets all the time.

“They’ve got swing bowlers who bowl at good pace and the bat guys are going out there fearless. It’s as if they are playing in their back yard and got no consequences on the wicket and they are looking to make 350-plus pretty much all the time.

“You need those kind of players in the side, the game is getting more dynamic as we can see from the World Cup and it really has put one day cricket back on the map because it was dwindling at one stage. But that World Cup has been brilliant for one day cricket and the teams at the top there have played a very exciting brand of cricket.”

Collingwood, who was part of Scotland’s coaching staff for the World Cup, also said Grant Bradburn’s side would need to raise their game if they are to qualify for future championships, where new proposals will see just 10 teams involved.

'Next level'

“They’ve got to go through the qualification process and it is going to be tough with only a couple of associate teams being able to get into the World Cup. So you’ve got to play well; it’s as simple as that.

If you look at New Zealand and Australia, they are very, very aggressive in the way they play and look to take wickets all the time.
Paul Collingwood

“There are some good associate teams around and they’ll all be wanting those positions so, again, you’ve got to take your brand of cricket to the next level. Scotland will be looking to do that and try to get into one of those two spots."

On the domestic front, Collingwood is again targeting a trophy for his Durham side as they look to build on the success of previous seasons.

"We’ve had a great successful last seven or eight years here at Durham," said the skipper. "We have won a lot of trophies, although we have a very young squad.

"I think there’s a lot of skill level in the squad and that’s been proven with Mark Wood being picked for the England side and Ben Stokes, so if we can win something again this year, I’m not going to say what format were going to win, but that’s certainly one of our aims.” 

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