Harmison shares Test hunger - Colly

Both men have been victims of the axe this year - Collingwood as recently as last week - but are in the 13-man party for the third npower Test against South Africa, starting on Wednesday.

"The key thing for Harmy is that he's as hungry as ever to play for England, the ambition is really there after all he's been through," Collingwood said.

"He could have settled for a quiter life with Durham but he really wants to play for England, like me, and every time I've been back to Durham people have said to me 'you wouldn't believe how fast Harmy is bowling'."

And it is that extra pace that has seen England turn to the 29-year-old for the first time in eight matches.

Collingwood is also in contention to feature at Edgbaston, having had his chain of 33 consecutive appearances broken for the 10-wicket defeat at Headingley last week.

The 32-year-old's wretched summer has seen him embroiled in New Zealander Grant Elliott's run-out controversy, banned from four limited-overs internationals for slow over-rates and muster just 92 runs in nine first-class innings.

"It's been a very difficult season for me but hopefully it will be a season of two halves and the better half starts now," Collingwood explained. "I just want this to be the spark, the catalyst, whatever word you want to choose, to get me going again.

"It's been the worse year of my career but once you have got over the hurt you look at it and realise that hope is just around the corner.

"I worried about what this meant for me when I was left out of Headingley and it was without doubt the biggest disappointment of my career."