Graham Thorpe pulls out of Ashes tour

England batsman Graham Thorpe will miss the Ashes tour this winter after informing the team's management that he is unavailable. So ends an unfortunate chapter, or perhaps even the whole international book, in the career of a supremely talented player who has denied himself the chance of ultimate fulfilment.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney confirmed that Thorpe had made the decision because he did not want to be away from his family. "When I spoke to Graham he told me that he didn't want to let anyone down. Obviously he has been in good form recently with a couple of hundreds so there was no doubt about his ability to play, but he felt at the end of the day that he couldn't commit himself to being away from home for that period of time.

"There was no pressure brought to bear on him by the selectors. We respect Graham's views at this time and fully understand the difficulties he has had over the last six months."

Thorpe himself issued a statement through Surrey. "I have informed the selectors that I wish to withdraw from the tour to Australia.

"During the six weeks away from the game my personal situation did improve and I felt that I was able to make myself available for the tour.

"Since returning to the game I have found it difficult to consistently concentrate on cricket and I must be totally focused for the tour.

"I therefore feel it is better to be honest with the England cricket team, the management, and myself now, rather than during the Ashes tour.

"It would be wrong for me to go to Australia purely for the financial gain that it would bring me whilst I am finding it difficult to fully focus on the job in hand 100% of the time.

"This has been the hardest decision of my cricket career. I ask that I may be given the respect and privacy required so that I may recover to play cricket at highest level next season."

Thorpe withdrew, first from one-day international cricket and then from all cricket as he attempted to rebuild his life after the distressing break-up of his marriage. However, in late August he contacted the selectors saying he was in the right frame of mind to make himself available for the tour. To demonstrate his commitment, he returned to the Surrey side with considerable success, scoring 143 against Hampshire in the Championship and, only last weekend, 114 against Gloucestershire in his first Norwich Union League match for two years.

The England management accepted that he was mentally fit for the Ashes tour after he had convinced them of the fact at a series of meetings, but his absence now is a considerable blow to selection plans leaving a significant hole in the batting order. Thorpe's record against Australia is impressive, with three hundreds in his 16 Tests contributing to the 1,235 runs scored at an average of 45.

The announcement of a replacement player and the England one-day squad for the series in Australia this winter will be made by next Monday at the latest.

The selectors may look no further than The Oval in that Thorpe's Surrey colleague Mark Ramprakash must be near the top of their list, as could be opening batsman Ian Ward who has been scoring phenomenally for the champions. Robert Key of Kent played two matches at the end of the summer without either cementing a place or looking totally out of place, while Nick Knight of Warwickshire has been in prolific form. Owais Shah of Middlesex should not be discounted, either.

Whoever is chosen, it will not be possible to compensate for Thorpe's experience or the fact that, at his best, he has been one of the few English batsmen to be talked of in terms of world class. The simple fact is, however, that he has not been at his best because of his mental turmoil. Even when being interviewed immediately after his selection for the Ashes tour party, he sounded a tormented soul and it was evident that, whatever his protestations to the contrary, all his demons had not been exorcised.

It might well be that the English international game has seen the end of Thorpe the cricketer. One can only hope that the eminently likeable Thorpe the man can get his affairs in order to lead the rest of his life outside cricket as he would himself wish.