Bramwell Speaks Out, by Sports Editor neil Bramwell

ENGLAND expects...every cricketer to ignore his duty and sit on his idle backside all winter.

Well, that's the example set by Graham Thorpe.

In the face of England's greatest sporting shame since Eddie The Eagle took up pigeon fancying, the country's finest batsman opted not to tour South Africa for family reasons.

Thanks a bunch, Gray.

But his decision at least provides a valuable insight into the workings of the mind of a present-day England cricketer.

Let's examine his comments on announcing the decision.

"I consider it an honour to have represented my country and my ambition to do well for England is as high as it has ever been," said Thorpe.

Just hold on there a cotton-picking minute. The guy has just announced that he no longer wants to represent his country.

The only conclusion to be drawn, therefore, is that the scale of Thorpe's ambition to do well has never been higher than Phil Tufnell's batting average.

"I need to achieve some balance in my life," he added.

It's a pity he couldn't find some balance at the crease when playing forward to the bowling of Daniel Vettori as though he was dragging a ball and chain.

The Surrey batsman pleads that he has to consider another ball and chain, as well as two children aged two and six months, and has spent the last 10 winters away from home.

I somehow cannot imagine Douglas Jardine jumping ship at Southampton docks as his side set off for a real winter tour.

In any case, Thorpe only spent a portion of last winter on tour because of a back problem. Maybe the doctors found that he didn't have a spine.

I hope he uses his time wisely and finds a proper job during those long, cold months of the British winter.

Instead of strolling down the beaches of Cape Town and Durban, he might try his hand in the rat race, leaving work before sunrise and flopping back into his comfy chair long after the nippers are in beddy-byes.

He will, perhaps, learn to cherish an annual leave that would amount to a fraction of the free time of a professional cricketer - tour or no tour.

He might even try and develop Sky's new interactive viewing angle during England's batting - from behind the sofa.

Thorpe's decision symbolises everything wrong about the present England team if the woeful inadequacies of David Graveney and the grocer are ignored.

Most of the players have ability. None have the necessary pride, discipline, guts, commitment, courage or honour.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.