A touch too soon

Why is he retiring? There have been some explanations: he would have preferred to remain as captain of the Test team; the move to Daniel Vettori may have hastened his departure. He has burgeoning business ambitions, a two-year-old daughter, a baby on the way, and a contract with the IPL. Yet he goes leaving us puzzled. He is not past his peak and in this era no Englishman, Aussie or Indian retires before their powers are manifestly in decline.

Fleming, Shane Bond, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent have already opted for Twenty20 riches, whether in the approved IPL or the "rogue" ICL, all of whom might have been touring England in May but have chosen not to. There is also the complication of Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor going to play in India before the tour of England. An ugly compromise will be hatched between New Zealand's board and their leading cricketers over when they arrive in the UK.