September 25 Wednesday 2002
'Thorpe absence will weaken England'

COLOMBO: Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist believes Graham Thorpe's decision to pull out of the forthcoming Ashes tour is a big setback for England.

"He's a class player so you would think on paper it would weaken them," said Gilchrist after he heard the news on Tuesday. "He's got good numbers against Australia and he's one of their top couple of players so it is a setback for them."

Thorpe, who has failed to complete a string of tours in recent years, originally made himself available for the five-match series after taking a complete break from the game following the acrimonious break-up of his marriage.

The 33-year-old left-hander informed the England management on Monday that he would not be available for the tour, saying he did not feel in the right frame of mind. Thorpe has scored 5109 runs from 77 Tests at an average of 41.87.

That average is considerably better against Australia at 45.74, with 1235 runs from 16 matches. Gilchrist admitted the Australians were not concerned who was called up in Thorpe's place.

"We don't spend a lot of time oohing and aahing about what their team is going to be," he said. "We'll just wait and see who they have got on the eve of the first Test and plan for that.

"We're not swayed too much by late changes or guys getting left out for whatever reason, we're relatively flexible and the guys are talented enough to make adjustments at short notice," he added. Thorpe's Surrey team-mate Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key of Kent are among the favourites to step into the touring party but Gilchrist said they would respect whoever got the call-up.

"Ramprakash has had success against us in the recent series, but either way we will have to respect the new player," he said.

"If it's a player we have never seen we will have to assess him and make our decisions on how to combat him. "There is no name we fear, but equally there is no name we will disrespect and think

"You beauty! It's good to see him in"," Gilchrist added. Thorpe made a century on his Test debut against Australia in 1993 but missed four of the five Tests in the 2001 Ashes series as he recovered from calf and hand injuries.

He also played just one match of the 1998-99 Test series in Australia before returning home with a back injury. The England squad departs for Australia in mid-October and the Ashes series starts in Brisbane on November 7, with further Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Australia has held the Ashes since 1989.