TWO sporting worlds collided at Loughton Academy to produce a display of fireworks that culminated in an Olympic gold medalist being punched by the captain of the England cricket team.

Three of the country’s finest cricketers were swinging with their fists instead of their bats last week, as Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood enjoyed a brutal training session ahead of their Ashes series against Australia next month by pulling on their gloves and taking to the ring with Olympic gold medal-winning boxer James DeGale.

The event, sponsored by Vodafone, saw DeGale and his trainer Jim McDonnell put the batsmen through their paces with a series of gruelling exercises, before each player pulled on a headguard and challenged the talented middleweight to a sparring session.

After two minutes of intense boxing with each cricketer, DeGale – smarting from a left hook by Strauss – presented a special trophy to the England skipper.

Speaking to DeGale afterwards, I pointed out the red mark on his cheek. “I got caught! That little southpaw was good and probably the best out of all of them,” he laughed, referring to Strauss. “They were good. I was surprised by their physical fitness, all three took a dig so I was impressed.”

Collingwood complained of several sore ribs afterwards, while Strauss insisted he was glad to have escaped the ring unscathed, before moving on to the topic that’s on everyone’s lips this summer . . . the Ashes.

“We’re expecting a very tough contest and to have to play better than we ever have done before,” said Strauss.

“The greatest challenge in the Ashes is to play your cricket. With all the added pressure it’s very easy to get distracted, and it’s my job to keep the guys focused. If we do that we’ve got a great chance of winning.”