Collingwood suffers injury scare

Paul Collingwood has given England an injury concern ahead of the first Test against New Zealand after suffering stiffness in his back and soreness in his right shoulder following Durham's Championship defeat against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

He is due to have an injection in his shoulder and an ECB statement said: "He will be assessed again over the next 48 hours."

The problem is in the same shoulder that Collingwood injured during the one-day series against Sri Lanka last October. He landed heavily as he tried to take a caught and bowled chance during the third ODI in Dambulla and required an injection. Although he continued playing, he didn't bowl in the final match of that series.

He again suffered discomfort during the New Zealand tour and needed another injection so any recurrence will cause a few worries in the England camp. His batting form this season has been poor with 32 runs in five innings, culminating in scores of 3 and 2 against Lancashire where he was dismissed by England team-mates James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff.

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose wasn't able to take up his position for Warwickshire in their Championship match against Derbyshire after waking up with a stiff neck. However, the move to keep him off the field was precautionary with the Test six days and he underwent massage treatment.