Sexual encounters with multiple women, fined in tax evasion case; former England captain 'goes hiding'

LONDON: Former England cricket captain and World Cup hero Paul Collingwood has reportedly been staying away from the public eye for several months. The trouble began after an audio clip surfaced, allegedly featuring him discussing sexual encounters with multiple women lasting two hours. Soon after, he was also fined in a tax evasion case, adding to his woes. The controversy has resurfaced after former teammate Graeme Swann spoke about the issue on a podcast, bringing Collingwood’s name back into discussion.

Collingwood is the first England captain to win a World Cup- the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup. He later served as part of the England coaching staff. Collingwood took leave from his coaching role in May this year and has not appeared in public since. The audio tape controversy first came to light in April 2023.

Reports suggest that several players were aware of the existence of the audio clip, but it was Swann’s comments that made the matter public. Swann jokingly remarked that the actions described in the clip were something “only Collingwood could pull off.” In the tax evasion case, Collingwood was fined nearly Rs 2 crore. The 49-year-old, who is divorced, has faced controversies before.

During the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, reports claimed that Collingwood had been seen at a strip club in Cape Town. Although he denied staying there long, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) fined him £1,000 at the time.