Thorpe not guaranteed to play for NSW

Graham Thorpe is not guaranteed to play state cricket when he heads to New South Wales, according to the NSW coach, Trevor Bayliss. Thorpe, 35, announced on Wednesday that he would be going Down Under this winter, prompting Bayliss to confirm that he has been taken on as a coach and will only play if the team's batting form dips. And Bayliss is hoping that this will not be required, as he is keen to nurture the talent of the local - and much younger - batsmen.

"We wondered if he would be interested in being available for NSW if we needed him," said Bayliss. "This was very much a one-off. He's fully aware that if our batters are doing the job, there's no spot for him. He's happy with that. We hope he doesn't get to play for us. He's not coming over to definitely play and take some local guy's place."

Thorpe had said he was interested in a coaching role with a Sydney club team in their 2005-06 season, and Bayliss said NSW had jumped at the chance to enlist him - but only in the capacity as a back-up. "It basically just started off with Graham wanting to come out and play some grade cricket," Bayliss added, "and be involved in some coaching and have a look at our set-up, just with a view to his future in the coaching world. It was a perfect opportunity, if he was going to be out here and wanting to play grade cricket, that we could take advantage of that.