Toucan

Paul Collingwood says he expects to be fit enough to take part in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.

Collingwood aggravated a long-standing shoulder injury during Durham's County Championship match against Lancashire last week but has had a cortisone injection to help ease the pain.

England's one-day captain says he has been through the same situation before with this injury and expects the injection will allow him to function at 100 per cent by Thursday.

However, the all-rounder admits he will not be able to keep using this method of treatment in the long-term.

He said: "This is the last injection I can have in this particular area, so hopefully I can keep it strong and manage it from now on.

"After the last couple of cortisones I have had, a few days later I have come in to bowl at 100 per cent. So I have got no worries about doing that on Thursday as well."

England will hope Collingwood does manage to show his bowling fitness in the nets prior to the match as they are likely to use him as a fourth seam bowler. Matthew Hoggard, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom will compete for the other three places.

Collingwood says he has been putting off having his shoulder properly fixed as it would mean missing between three and six months.

"Until the day comes when I think it is affecting me on the field and affecting my performance I am not going to worry about it," explained Collingwood.

"Surgery is the last thing I want because you miss so much cricket and you never know how you're going to respond to it."

Collingwood will make his 30th consecutive appearance in the England Test side if he is named in the line up on Thursday.

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