With England's injury record the selectors probably expected a get-together at some time during the winter to discuss a replacement to fly to Australia. But they hadn't bargained for being forced to meet up about a fortnight after they selected the team in the first place. But they will have to do that now, after Graham Thorpe reversed his earlier decision and decided that he wasn't in a fit state of mind to tour Australia after all.

There will be red faces all round the table when the selectors do meet up. The chances are that the reddest will belong to Nasser Hussain, who, it's fair to assume, went out on a limb to convince the selectors that he could handle his old mate Thorpey in the first place. Just before the team was selected Thorpe announced: "I feel the break has given me the chance to clear my mind and address the off-field issues which were there before. Everything is now more settled in my private life and I'm looking forward to playing cricket again."

And indeed Thorpe seemed to be running into form after his enforced lay-off. He made a Championship century against Hampshire, and cracked another on the last day of the season, against Gloucestershire in his first national league match for two years. I saw him playing in that Hampshire game, in the idyllic surroundings of Southampton's new Rose Bowl, and he looked happy and content, and smiled broadly as Surrey completed a leisurely victory on the last afternoon.

But it wasn't enough. The personal problems that have bedevilled Thorpe – the break-up of his marriage and subsequent arguments over custody of his two children – have proved too much. It's a personal tragedy, and no-one should judge him too harshly.

Graham Gooch knows the territory: his own marriage split up because of the pressures of cricket. "Some things do supersede playing sport, and getting things right with your wife and children is of paramount importance," he said today. "Talking about doing it and actually getting on the plane for three months are two different things."

That said, it's hard to envisage any set of selectors choosing Thorpe again, which means that the international career of one of England's finest batsmen of the last 25 years has ended at the early age of 33. The Australians might not quite be letting out huge sighs of relief, but they would rather face a Thorpeless England than a line-up that included a man with an Ashes average of 45 – one of England's highest in the last 30 years (click here for the Wisden Wizard page).

And after the moaning and groaning the conversation inevitably turns to the question of Graham Thorpe's replacement. Let's have another look at that Wizard list: there is a man in there who averages 42 against Australia, who had a good county season (averaging over 56), and who spanked 133 against the Aussies in his last home Test.

Some may grumble, but Mark Ramprakash is the obvious choice.

Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden.com.

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