"Colly is Mr Durham."
Club chairman Sir Ian Botham has it spot on. After featuring in 23 of Durham's 26 seasons of professional cricket, Paul Collingwood is one of those players that is synonymous with their county.
But 'Colly' is so much more than that. He played 68 Test matches for England, scoring 4,259 runs at an average of 40.56, perhaps the highlight being that imperious double century on the Ashes tour of 2006/07. He was part of three Ashes-winning campaigns.
He also remains the only England captain to deliver a short format world title after leading his side to the World Twenty20 crown in 2010. And now, at the ripe old age of 42, he's calling time on an illustrious career.
“After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to announce my retirement from cricket at the end of the current season,” Collingwood told Durham's official website.
“I knew this day would eventually come but it hasn’t made it any easier – although it’s an emotional decision, I know that the time is right and I’m comfortable knowing that I have given every last ounce of energy to the sport.
“I have achieved so much with both Durham and England; far more than I ever imagined and I feel extremely privileged to have had such a long and rewarding career.
We had a Legend retire from England this week in Alastair Cook & now another in @Colly622 retiring from the game all together,Colly like Cookie just got on with his Job,Fantastic man to have in your side & we should say a huge thank you to what he has done for English Cricket
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 13, 2018
“It has been an honour to represent Durham County Cricket Club for the last 23 years and I would like to thank the staff, coaches, team-mates and members for their tremendous support and for making my career so enjoyable. I am excited about what the future holds for me and am looking forward to new challenges.”
Collingwood's final game will be the Specsavers County Championship clash with Middlesex at Emirates Riverside on September 24. It will bring the curtain down on a first-class career that began in 1996 and saw him make 304 appearances, amassing 16,844 runs and taking 164 wickets.
The veteran's England debut came for the ODI side against Pakistan in 2001 and he went on to play 197 times, scoring five centuries and taking 111 wickets. It was in the limited overs format that his reputation as a gun fielder and taker of spectacular catches was established.
Collingwood also played 36 T20s for his country, culminating in that famous victory over Australia in the 2010 World Twenty20 tournament.
After retiring from international cricket in 2011, he won the Championship title with Durham in 2013, going on to win the Royal London One-Day Cup the following campaign. Last season he was named the club's Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Batsman of the Year, and became the first man to score a Vitality Blast century for the club.
Collingwood has assisted England as fielding coach and was part of Scotland's staff during the 2015 World Cup. He is expected to continue his coaching career this winter.
Durham County Cricket Club Chairman, Sir Ian Botham, said: “Paul is one of the greatest all-rounders to ever grace the game of cricket and to have him playing at Durham, his home county, for all these years has been an absolute privilege.
“Both on and off the field he has class, intelligence and charm and it is a testament to his incredible commitment and work ethic that he has been able to compete at the top level for the amount of time that he has.
“Colly is Mr Durham and it will be very strange without him, but on behalf of myself and everyone at Durham County Cricket Club, I would like to wish him the very best in whatever the future holds.”