PAUL COLLINGWOOD was last night anointed as England's one-day captain-in-waiting by Steve Harmison.

As Collingwood shrugged off talk that he is in contention to replace Nasser Hussain as the country's limited-overs leader, Harmison insisted his Durham teammate should be placed on stand-by to skipper England in two years' time.

Harmison, 24, watched with admiration through the Southern Hemisphere summer as Collingwood blossomed into a crucial spoke in England's one-day wheel.

The 26-year-old from Shotley Bridge was arguably England's best performer in the VB Series and the subsequent World Cup as he became an automatic selection as a middle order batsman and outstanding fielder.

And while Collingwood yesterday played down his chances of being appointed ahead of Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Adam Hollioake, Harmison told the England selectors to make his county colleague the long-term successor to Hussain.

Harmison said: "I think in 20 to 30 games' time, with two years' more experience, Paul will be an ideal captain.

"Whoever gets the job will be inexperienced, and they will have a lot on their shoulders because Nasser was a very good captain.

"Adam Hollioake's name leaps out among all the contenders. If they're looking for a short-term replacement, you've got one choice simply because he's not in the side at the moment.

"But Paul is definitely captaincy material.

"He got better every time he played in Australia and South Africa, and now that Jonty Rhodes is out of the game he's probably the best fielder in the world.

"From the moment Paul walked into the Test match dressing room in Perth, he was brilliant. He gave the lads a lift when they were down.

"Hopefully, he can get in the Test side this summer and prove to people he can play Test cricket."

Collingwood was coy when asked if he felt he had a chance of succeeding Hussain after 38 one-day internationals.

He said: "It's been great to have my name mentioned and it was also a massive surprise. If it came along, I'd be happy to take it.

"But I think the three candidates are Vaughan, Trescothick and Hollioake.

"I captained Durham once last season, but other than that I've only captained junior sides like Durham Under-14s and Under-16s.

"I haven't got too much experience, but then again you can only get that experience from captaining teams."

Collingwood admitted last night that his principal aim for the 2003 season is to force his way into England's Test line-up.

The batting order is unsettled, with Graham Thorpe's personal problems precluding him from touring this winter and the likes of Robert Key and John Crawley failing to nail down a permanent place in the team.

With the second Test against Zimbabwe taking place at Durham's Riverside, Collingwood is dreaming of transferring his one-day form into the longer version of the international game.

He said: "I'm always telling the selectors that I want to play Test cricket, but I have to score the runs.

"There's also a massive mental difference between Tests and one-day matches.

"I need to make technical changes to my game, too, because bowlers target you around off stump. But I think I can adjust to that."