PETER MOORES will report to this week's selectors' meeting and plead the case for continuity by giving his backing to Paul Collingwood for the final Test against New Zealand.

Monday's stunning six-wicket victory at Old Trafford earned a 1-0 lead in the three-Test npower series despite another sub-standard batting display in the first innings which threatened to give the tourists a shock victory.

Monty Panesar's left-arm spin and a determined century from Andrew Strauss ensured England recovered from another shaky display, which extended their run without a first innings total in excess of 400 to 11 successive Tests.

Several players have come under scrutiny during that run, but Durham all-rounder Collingwood has come under the most pressure having gone 22 innings without a Test century.

But coach Moores will sit down with National selector Geoff Miller and fellow selector Ashley Giles this week resisting any calls for change when they announce the Test squad on Sunday.

"There's always discussion (about changes) because I'm one of four selectors," said Moores.

"We sit down and talk about the team for the next Test match and we talk about the future every time.

"But we've also got to get a balance with loyalty as well and I do think in Paul you've got a very good cricketer.

"Because of the nature of the way he plays there are always people asking whether he's good enough but he does average 40, he's got a double hundred in Australia, he's a good player in both forms of the game."

While Collingwood is clearly struggling for runs - he is yet to score a half century in any form of cricket yet this season - he battled hard to score a scratchy 24 and hit the winning runs at Old Trafford yesterday.

But Moores believes Collingwood's recent run is no different to the recent slump endured by captain Michael Vaughan.

"Paul's had a tough couple of Test matches but that happens,"

stressed Moores. "It's only two weeks ago Michael Vaughan was being talked about and since then he's got a very good hundred so things move really quickly in sport."