Collingwood Ready to be Back For 1st ODI

Johannesburg: Injured England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has said he has a very good chance of returning to action in Friday's opening One-Day International against South Africa.

The former captain injured his back in England's Twenty20 international against South Africa last week and missed the second match as well as the warm-up game with South Africa A in Potchefstroom.

"I've been progressing really well. It was very sore on Sunday and I had two injections on Monday," Collingwood said in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"It seems to have all settled down and I did some work in the gym today. I would have been 50/50 if I had to play today, so I think there's a very good chance of me playing on Friday."

If he plays, Collingwood will break the record for the most One-day appearances for England, which he currently shares with former wicketkeeper/batsman Alec Stewart with 170.

"The game is forever changing, it's a lot more powerful now and I've needed to become fitter and also make changes to my technique," Collingwood added.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
No games being played at this time. 1st Test - Bangladesh v Zimbabwe - April 20-24, 04:00 GMT 2nd Test - Bangladesh v Zimbabwe - April 28-02, 04:00 GMT 3rd ODI - New Zealand v Pakistan at New Zealand won by 43 runs 2nd ODI - New Zealand v Pakistan at New Zealand won by 84 runs

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