Graham Thorpe on his way to an over-due 50

And with New Zealand still in with a chance of chasing down their target of 245, Collingwood took four quick wickets, including the dangerous Chris Cairns and Chris Harris.

Though this was Thorpe's first fifty in nine one-day matches this winter, it was no more than England had a right to expect of the batsman respected most by opponents.

As for Collingwood, however, the doubts as to his worth as an international all-rounder had already started to mount.

Encouraging as has he has been at times with the bat this winter, with three fifties, his return with the ball has been a decidedly average three for 254.

Rejoice... for now

But in eight overs under the Napier lights he took 4-38.

Somehow, these figures look too good to be true - and most probably they are.

For now, England would do well to rejoice in their success, but they should also be realistic about Collingwood's bowling prospects in Auckland and Dunedin, as well as in the World Cup next year.

The conditions that he so revelled in in Napier are more Chester-le-Street than Port Elizabeth or East London.

Another key wicket for that man Colly

After England's victory, Hussain said that he had recalled Chris Harris troubling England's batsmen with swing when the teams last met at Napier, almost five years ago to the day.

"Making the ball wobble alarmingly at slow-medium pace," Wisden records of that game, "he (Harris) took three key wickets (including Hussain) in 32 deliveries and conceded just 20 runs in his ten overs."

And in the same match, White returned a career-best 4-37.

So it was to White that Hussain tossed the ball, but after three uneventful overs had leaked 15 runs, he pulled White off and introduced Collingwood.

Soon enough, Lou Vincent had sliced to gully, Cairns had swung to deep midwicket, Harris had been trapped plumb in front, and Andre Adams had spliced a drive to long off.

Vincent and Harris, in particular, had been undone by canny swing bowling.

But to say that Collingwood would therefore be ineffective in other conditions is, for all his modest record, perhaps unfair on the Durham all-rounder.

Variation

It was almost certainly the expectation of swing in the air that prompted him to cut down his pace and look for variation through off-cutters and slower balls.

With batsmen therefore uncertain as to which way the ball would move - having seen Harris undone by the perfect inswinger, the right-handed Andre Adams was almost lbw first ball to one that swung the other way - Collingwood's other variations took on greater impact.

Closer inspection of the ball that did for Cairns revealed it to be an off-break.

And even without the impact of the swinging ball, Collingwood's variations were infinitely better than what had gone before during his brief international career when he has appeared one-paced.

Perhaps Hussain's oratory skills have unearthed more than even he could have hoped for.