Critics ruffle Caddick over refusal to tour

Andrew Caddick had every right to stay with his family rather than accept the routine risks of world travel, and accept a tour of India becoming so secure the chances are that there will soon be the appointment of a 13th man to test the drinks.

But he was wrong to question the parallel right of leader writers to question whether he should ever play for England again. In a long, intriguing, if sometimes befuddling, account of why he refused to tour, Caddick sneeringly granted the right of his critics to operate from behind the security of their computer screens. The journalistic trade, heaven knows, is not above criticism but in one area at least it passes muster rather well.

In 30-odd years in the game I have never known of a case of a hack refusing to get on a plane. There has, it is true, been the occasion when getting off it has been more of a difficulty, but that is of course an entirely different matter.