The end is nigh for Illingworth

One way or another, the end is nigh for Raymond Illingworth's turbulent reign as the godfather of English cricket. Within the next 36 hours, Gerard Elias QC, the chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board's disciplinary committee, is due to announce whether the unseemly row over Illingworth's forthcoming book should lead to a charge of bringing the game into disrepute against the chairman of selectors. Elias was at Old Trafford yesterday, meeting the principals in the drama.

Meanwhile, as if calls for his head, primarily from Derbyshire and Lancashire, were not enough, Illingworth is bracing himself to receive a libel writ on behalf of Ian Botham, who is as upset, apparently, with comments attributed to the chairman about his bid to become a selector as Devon Malcolm is over the text of Illingworth's book, aptly entitled One Man Committee.

These matters cloud the immediate future of the controversial Yorkshireman, who has been so dismayed by the events of the past few weeks that he may conceivably tender his resignation at any time. However, as far as the longer term is concerned, all uncertainty has been removed. Come what may, in September, Illingworth goes.

This he made clear at Headingley on Saturday, when he said that the fuss over his comments about Malcolm had led him to conclude that it was time to retire. "I thought I might carry on to the Ashes next year," he said, "but now, whatever happens, I'll be walking away from cricket, completely and absolutely at the end of the summer."

This closes the door on any chance that Illingworth, having surrendered his hands-on coaching duties to David Lloyd, would leave his hat in the ring when his stint as chairman expires in September. If the counties wanted the chance to vote him out of office, they will now be denied it.

It has rained on Lloyd's parade, then, in more ways than one. If the weather were not enough, this affair, which will do none of the parties any good, had put a dampener on the Lancastrian's homecoming. However, the notion that morale within the England dressing-room is damaged as a result can be dismissed.

Aloof to political intrigue, Lloyd cares only about cricket and the bounce in his team's step during the Texaco series can only do him credit. Had the TCCB known what was coming over Illingworth's book - and they really should have had a shrewd idea - they could not have chosen a better man to stand between the players and the fuss.