Football
20y

Cricket-Collingwood embarrassed by broken nose

By Simon Cambers

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, April 28 - England all
rounder Paul Collingwood has admitted to being a little
embarrassed after breaking his nose during a game of basketball.

With rain denying England the chance to practise any
cricket, Collingwood suffered the injury on Tuesday as the
players tried to keep themselves occupied.

The abandonment of Wednesday's fourth match in the
seven-game series gave Collingwood extra time to recover.

"It was quite embarrassing to be honest with you," he told
reporters. "I was thinking I was Michael Jordan, doing a big
jump. I put the ball up against the backboard and as the ball
went into the basket, I kept watching it and went straight into
the post behind it.

"It sounded like a baseball bat had hit it. If someone had
got it on camera I imagine it would have been very funny."

Collingwood, who was out of action last year after an
operation on his nose, admitted he had feared the worst.

"I was quite lucky to get just a broken nose. I knew I'd
broken it -- I've done it before. I was just thinking that I
might be out of the next few games.

"I did get a bit of a panic on, as I was out last year, and
I was worried about missing more time."

Collingwood and his team mates were frustrated again on
Wednesday when the game was abandoned after torrential rain in
Grenada left the pitch waterlogged.

The second and third matches in Trinidad last weekend were
also washed out.

"It is very frustrating," Collingwood said. "We all really
want to play cricket as it's very hard just sitting around,
doing anything we can to stop from being bored and trying to
stay focused and fit.

"I would have been fit to play and am fine now."

More rain is forecast for St Lucia, the venue for the fifth
and sixth matches in the series on Saturday and Sunday.

England have a 1-0 advantage after their two-wicket victory
in the opening match.

"At this rate, 1-0 might win it and Chris Read will be the
man of the series," Collingwood said, referring to the England
wicketkeeper's match-winning innings of 27 in Guyana.

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