David Hopps: Caddick Admits Gough's Not Coming Back

England's fast-bowling partnership of Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough has never quite achieved the acclaim it deserved. When one critic had the temerity to compare them to Fred Trueman and Brian Statham, the letters of complaints rained in for weeks.

But yesterday, prior to the three-match VB Series finals against Australia, Caddick voiced for the first time what during the Ashes tour has become a common assumption among England's players: that Gough is unlikely ever to bowl for England again and that a partnership that has produced 462 Test wickets will never again be witnessed.

Caddick conceded on BBC Radio 5 Live that he was "not up to date on what Darren's been doing medically" - even at the height of their partnership they were never close. But he predicted: "It's a big task for him to come back at his age into the international arena. I don't think the partnership will be back."

To Caddick this represented little more than a Pythonesque skill for stating the obvious, but such is the affection in which Gough is held that every tiny step towards retirement must duly be recorded.

Even Tim Lamb, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, broke off from endless deliberations about security in Zimbabwe to offer his own insight into Gough's knee.

"I am not absolutely 100% up to speed with Darren Gough's injury situation other than I know he is working really hard on his fitness," Lamb said. "He is a talisman for English cricket. We very much hope his international career is not finished. I hope Andrew is wrong."

Caddick, whose international credentials have repeatedly been questioned because of a perception that he rarely performs when it matters, will step on to the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the opening final game tomorrow in the uncommon role of England's most trusted servant.

His seven wickets during England's victory in the final Test here passed Gough's career total of 228 Test victims. The Barmy Army, who had long sung "Goughie is our king", even proclaimed Caddick the new man on the throne, although this may have been merely an example of healthy English irony.

Although England lost their final VB group match against Australia by four wickets in Adelaide on Sunday, stalwart opening spells by Caddick and the Lancashire tyro James Anderson were the most impressive aspect of England's performance. Predictions that Caddick is on his last overseas tour may prove premature.

Anderson has been the leading wicket-taker in the one-day series. The likes of his captain Nasser Hussain and the coach Duncan Fletcher have good reason to carp at county cricket's failure to mould ready-made international players, but Anderson has shone for England after only half a season for Lancashire.

Meanwhile, the former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has become the latest cricketer to apologise for racist remarks, after a column on the website Wisden.com caused an outcry because it was deemed derogatory to Maoris.

Crowe, in attempting to praise the breakthrough of Daryl Tuffey, the only player of Maori descent in the New Zealand side, ventured: "Tuffey is a Maori and traditionally not many Maoris make good cricketers because they don't have the patience or temperament to play through a whole day, leave alone a Test match."

Crowe apologised. "The intention was to be positive about a young Maori bowler who I think has made a significant breakthrough."

Another website, cricket-365.com, preferred to specialise in the internet's penchant for low-IQ polls. Asked if the Australia batsman Dar ren Lehmann was mistaken, misunderstood or "a racist pig", 85% of respondents had chosen the latter by last night.