By Sam Lyon

Collingwood hopes to grow quickly into the captaincy role

It is less than a week since Paul Collingwood was named as the new captain of England's one-day side.

But in that time most of the talk has been about whether a split captaincy will work for England this time around.

No-one questions Michael Vaughan's position as Test skipper, but in reality, he had little choice other than to give up the one-day job following a miserable World Cup in the Caribbean.

A new direction was needed and Collingwood, particularly after Kevin Pietersen's public withdrawal from the race, was the stand-out choice as captain.

606: DEBATE Is Collingwood the right man to lead England forward? BBC Sport's Sam Lyon

"Paul has a top personality, a good record and is a settled, experienced part of the one-day squad," former England one-day skipper Adam Hollioake told BBC Sport.

"All the key attributes are there for him to lead the side well. If you're asking me to have a bet I would wager he will do brilliantly."

Collingwood, with 121 one-day international caps, will lead the side for the first time in a Twenty international against West Indies on Thursday.

And despite a lack of captaincy experience - he has led Durham on just eight occasions - the belief is that the 31-year-old can lead a resurgence in the short form of the game.

England coach Peter Moore describes the Durham all-rounder as having "a very good cricket brain", while Pietersen insists "the team are comfortable around him and he's a good, experienced character".

I don't think for a second that Paul was selected as captain at this time because he won't threaten Michael's Test captaincy Adam Hollioake

The likes of Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist and former England Test captains Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart have also all praised his appointment.

But both Vaughan and Moores described a split captaincy as "not ideal" before Collingwood's appointment, so will it prove a winning formula for England?

Hollioake, who captained England under similar circumstances alongside Test captain Michael Atherton, has no doubts.

"I don't see the split captaincy as a problem," he said, "and it will definitely help that Paul and Michael are friends off the field, because the working relationship has to be good.

"Communication is important, but there needn't be a big issue. They need only talk about players' development or form, and maybe in this instance Paul will rely on Michael for advice from time to time, but otherwise I'm sure they'll be free to run things the way they want."

That view is held, publicly at least, by both Collingwood and Vaughan as well.

However, it is a fallacy to assume that the dual role will work because Collingwood is not a threat to Vaughan's Test captaincy.

Collingwood and Vaughan are friends as well as team-mates

The days when Collingwood was merely a 'one-day specialist' are long gone; he has played in every one of England's last 20 Tests, scoring 1,700 runs at an average of 53.1.

Furthermore, he was a long-term member of the senior playing staff under previous coach Duncan Fletcher, regularly supporting the captain and coach on and off the field.

And his lack of captaincy experience should not hinder him any more than it did Vaughan, who had captained at county level just five times before his appointment, three less than Collingwood.

"I don't think for a second that Paul was selected as captain at this time because he won't threaten Michael's Test captaincy," says Hollioake.

"He will have been chosen because he is the right man for the job. And, while I'm confident Paul and Michael can work well together, I've always said it's preferable to have one captain in charge of the two teams."

Talking of Vaughan's demise as Test captain so soon after he surpassed Peter May as the most successful England captain ever with 22 victories might seem fanciful.

But for the 32-year-old to lead England's next Ashes campaign in 2009, as he is desperate to, the split captaincy will have to endure for longer than any before.

Hollioake had a short, but successful spell as one-day skipper

The longest, and most successful, partnership was between Australia pair Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, who shared the captaincy for 23 months before Ponting succeeded the former.

As for England, Vaughan will remember all too well how he worked alongside Test captain Nasser Hussain for just five months before the arrangement was ended, the same period of time Hollioake survived alongside Atherton.

There is no doubt that the opportunity is there for Collingwood to lead England into a bright, new dawn in one-day cricket - the talent is there and all the talk is of a new, positive approach.

And, should he do so, the chances of him taking on both roles will improve.

Vaughan admitted two weeks ago: "I'm very confident it can work with me and the new captain. But if he comes in and does a magnificent job, it's the end of MV."

Maybe he'd be well advised to keep one eye firmly over his shoulder over the next couple of weeks.