James Lawton: Time for selectors to face up to their responsibilities

David Graveney, chairman of the England cricket selectors, looked particularly careworn on breakfast television – almost as shattered as the captain, Nasser Hussain. Graveney had an additional difficulty, however. He was speaking from Bristol, which is a formidable distance from the scene of the latest humiliation in Adelaide.

Rather too far, in fact to make any credible impression of knowing vaguely what is going on – beyond, that is, the average newspaper reader.

Theoretically, Graveney is where the buck for Test disaster should really stop. He was in charge of tour selection. He took the gambles on fitness which have rebounded so horribly. He has to make the tenuous argument that English cricket is remotely geared towards the demands of international sport at its highest level.

It really would be a good idea if Lord's stumped up the cost of his travelling expenses. Better still, the game would look at what happened in football in this country 40-odd years ago and in rugby union at the turn into the 1990s.

The principle of leadership, of having one man to make the big decisions and take responsibility for them, was accepted as a starting point in any search for success. England's football team have won one World Cup and the rugby team is at least threatening to pick up another. Meanwhile, English cricket merely talks about getting to the heart of its problems. Graveney probably would not appreciate the joke if we said that it should be done Bristol fashion.