Collingwood can take a break from Testing times and enjoy rough and tumble of the one-day scrap

If Ravi Bopara continues his fine county form, he will be difficult to overlook when the four-match series against South Africa starts next month.

Nonetheless, Collingwood can this week break away from his Test troubles and concentrate on his other job – that of leading his country in today's Twenty20 match and the upcoming ODIs against the Kiwis.

Testing times: Collingwood has been on a terrible trot with the bat for England

The Durham man has scored a significant amount of international runs since breaking into the England Test side at the end of the 2005 Ashes series, but he has often seemed to float under the radar, letting others in the team take the limelight.

Does he feel he still has something to prove to the English cricketing public?

"You have to expand on that," he says, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "What do I have to prove?"

The fact is that he's not a famous face compared with, say, Kevin Pietersen – or even Andrew Strauss.

"Yeah, but as long as the team is doing okay, then I don't mind how I'm perceived from the outside," he says.

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"It doesn't really make a difference if people recognise me in the street, as long as I'm doing a job for the team. I don't think I've anything to prove. I've got the belief I can compete at this level, and I think I've shown I can do it. You've still got to keep putting the big performances in, mind. There are plenty of good players out there who want to take your place."

Indeed there are, but Collingwood's form in the shorter versions of the game – where he has been effective with both bat and ball – saves his bacon.

And, of course, there's his fielding; Colly is devastating in the covers, capable of stunning catches and of throwing down the stumps from the tightest angles.

It's a part of the game he loves. "When I was young, I loved diving about and getting mucky," he explains.

"As professional cricketers, we're lucky enough to have the time to spend practising, and I really do enjoy it – I love diving full length, stopping a four or taking a one-handed catch. I even love taking a belter in training, when no one's watching."

Such is the pride Collingwood takes in his fielding, that he can barely bring himself to talk about the chances he spills.

"It's one of the worst feelings you can have in cricket," he says. "It can take a bowler a long time to work a batsman out, to get him to make a mistake, so when you drop one... well, as soon as it pops out of your hands, it's like slow motion. You know your teammates are in shock; you try not to show had bad you feel, but it really hurts."

Down and dirty: "I love diving full-length, stopping a four or taking a one-handed catch"

In the current England set-up, it's Ryan Sidebottom who gets angriest if a chance goes down, says Collingwood with a smile.

"Sometimes it's worse with the silent ones, the ones who just stare and walk away," he adds. "They might not speak to you for hours. Ah, the silent treatment – it's a killer."

He'll be hoping for none of that this week. While the Test matches against an ordinary New Zealand have been tough for Colly, this is a chance to really show his class.

The Kiwis shouldn't have the strength in depth to trouble England, though in Brendon McCullum they have a wicketkeeping all-rounder who is starting to have a Gilchrist-like influence on his team.

Twenty20 was made for his swashbuckling style, and his wicket will be the most prized of all for the England attack.

And New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori is proving himself not only very adept at getting the most from his limited resources, but also a fearsome competitor in his own right.

Capable of scoring valuable runs down the order, he is also a world-class bowler who can tie up an end – in Twenty20, his bowling average is a phenomenal 13.53.

So there's work to do for England, and Collingwood is the man charged with leading them. The next fortnight could be crucial for both man and team as they limber up for South Africa later in the summer.

And the man who was famously awarded an MBE for his part in the 2005 Ashes win (he played only in the final Test) knows that he'll be judged on what he does next, not what's in the past.

"I don't know where the MBE is, actually," he says. "I know that makes it sound like I'm not bothered, when actually I really love it – but, well, I just don't know where it is.

'You can read the full interview with Paul Collingwood in this week's Sport Magazine, the UK’s largest men’s magazine, by picking up a copy today or by logging on to www.myfreesport.co.uk'