Paul Collingwood was as surprised as anyone after starring with the ball in England's 43-run victory in the third one-day international at Napier today. "It's a big shock to get a Man of the Match with the ball," he said after taking 4 for 38. "I've never bowled with the white ball under more helpful conditions. I was surprised to see it swing so much when I came on, but it's certainly good news to see it swing at my pace," he laughed. Collingwood's previous one-day record of three wickets at over 100 each barely even qualified him as a bits-and-pieces player, but today he swung the ball like a banana and it was New Zealand's turn to slip up. "I'm working hard on my bowling," he said in that friendly north-east accent, "but there's still a lot of improvement to come. I'll keep working in the nets, and hopefully I can get another yard or two."

He revealed that the bowler he has been modelling himself on is Mark Ealham, who took 67 one-day wickets for England with his steady swingers. "If I can get to do a job like him, it's going to be really helpful for Nasser and the side."

The emphasis, though, was very much on the work that is still to come. Collingwood said he had been working on all aspects of his game, but that there was plenty of room for improvement. "My front arm comes down a bit too early at the minute so I've got work on that. And I've got to make my action a bit stronger."

Stephen Fleming admitted that the bowling of Collingwood and Matthew Hoggard, who got through his ten overs off the reel at the start of New Zealand's innings, had been the key. "They created opportunities by swinging the ball," he said. "I saw a bit of Collingwood in England, so I knew what to expect, but the amount of swing he got was prodigious to say the least. He used the conditions very well."

Fleming felt New Zealand were below par, "but that was because they upped the ante – as expected. We didn't respond as well as we could have done in certain areas. But they played well."

The main difference, he felt, was partnerships. "They did most of their batting in the top four, and gave themselves a good platform. We weren't too disappointed chasing 240, but we just didn't get the partnerships." England shared three fifty stands, but New Zealand had just the one. The series is very much alive.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com. You can read his reports here throughout the tour.

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