England's chairman of selectors David Graveney appears to have ended growing speculation that Darren Gough will be asked to stay on after the one-day series in New Zealand to boost England's lucklustre bowling attack. Speaking to the BBC, Graveney dismissed suggestions that the selectors were reconsidering their position. "Our situation hasn't changed, whatever speculation there has been. The players were offered a contract that encompassed two Test series in India and New Zealand. Darren decided he wanted a rest and that's up to him. Therefore the squads were chosen without him playing Test match cricket.

"He is an important guy but we have to stick to decisions that we have made. At the present stage I am happy to let Duncan and Nasser get on with the cricket. " He did add that Gough could still be called upon if injuries dictated that England needed another pace bowler.

Graveney's stance appears to owe less to common sense and more to a need to be seen to be setting an example to other players that withdrawing from tours will not be tolerated. It is also at odds with comments made by England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Lord MacLaurin on Thursday.

`With the programme stretching out over the next four or five years … it would mean people are not obliged to go on each and every tour, otherwise we'll have burn-out," said MacLaurin. "We want to prolong their cricketing lives as much as we possibly can and I think we have to be very sensible about it. These cricketers are married and have young families growing up and we want to be sensible about the way we care for our players and guard against burn-out."

Gough's performance at Christchurch showed that he is still England's leading bowler. Without him the attack looks less than daunting. The specialist seamers are Matthew Hoggard, Andy Caddick and Jimmy Ormond. Hoggard was impressive in India, but he lacks experience and recently his fitness has been a worry; Caddick has been very out of sorts since arriving in New Zealand; and Ormond has looked ordinary at the top level and was effectively sidelined after a poor display in the first Test against India.

The two allrounders, Andy Flintoff and Craig White, will boost the attack but White's fitness must be questionable after a recent operation and he too looked short of form in the first one-dayer.

Martin Williamson is managing editor of Wisden.com.

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