Paul Collingwood again failed with the bat on the 3rd morning of the 5th Ashes test despite perfect batting conditions and it must now mean the end for one of England's greatest test servants.
The Durham man, who will be 35 in May, was in desperate need of runs to silence the doubters but made a poor shot selection whilst on 13 to surely end what has been a hugely successful career.
With a very little chance of getting another bat in the game, it means he has scored 83 runs in six innings at an average of a very poor 14.
His England test career didn't really get going until the 2005 Ashes were he had to step in for the injured Simon Jones and play the last test. He contributed little to that game but it was just the start.
After 69 matches, Collingwood has a healthy average of 40.56 with ten hundreds, including a double century in Australia, and 20 half centuries but his recent poor form combined with the vast range of talented youngsters means time is surely up for the experienced stalwart, who has been a great servant to English cricket.
His bowling and fielding can play a big role too as well as the experience and cricketing knowledge he unquestionably adds to the team. But his main aim is to score runs and an average of below 20 for 2010 highlight his struggles that may see the end of his test career.
Collingwood will still play a valuable role in the one-day team, though, and he will continue to lead the 20/20 side but his test days are surely behind him.
The most obvious replacement for him would be the exciting Eoin Morgan who has impressed in the limited overs side of the game but also James Hildreth and Andrew Gale would be likely candidates.
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