Thorpe counts cost of silence

It's surely a case of when, rather than if, regarding Graham Thorpe's comeback to international cricket. He's said he is ready to return, his scores this season for Surrey say so as well, and quite apart from anything else, a triumphant return to England duty would make a far more pleasant ending to his planned autobiography. That project has been put on indefinite hold, and according to The Daily Mail has left Thorpe considerably out of pocket as well.

Back in January 2001, Thorpe signed a deal with the publishers Little, Brown for his autobiography, and received a healthy advance from them in return - but now he's got to hand it all back. Since the deal went through, Thorpe has suffered a much-publicised marriage break-up and decided to postpone the publishing of his book, due to be ghosted by Pat Murphy, because he doesn't want his children to be affected by reading about his divorce.

Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that the book would be more successful if published after Thorpe made an emotional return to the England team. He couldn't commit himself to the cause just when he was needed the most during the disastrous Ashes and World Cup, and he'll now have to see if England need him as much as he does them.

However, after a sparkling start to the season with Surrey, and with over 5,000 Test runs to his credit, you can bet your bottom dollar that he'll be back with the three lions on his shirt - along with a bestseller - before too long.