Cricket: Clock ticks too fast for injured Stewart

By STEPHEN BRENKLEY

Age has finally begun to catch up with Alec Stewart.

The 39-year-old wicketkeeper was forced to withdraw from England's side for the fourth test with a hand injury, threatening to end his test career.

Stewart may recover quickly, but any case for restoring him to the team, even in the interests of balance, would be based on slender evidence.

This series has demonstrated that he is not the player he was.

If the injury persists, it could disrupt plans for the World Cup.

Squads have to be named by Tuesday and England, in any case, have failed to blood properly a reserve one-day keeper.

Stewart is suffering from chronic synovitis, a form of arthritis, at the base of his right index finger.

A pain-killing injection failed and a late fitness test persuaded him he could not keep for an entire test innings.

"Naturally, I'm very disappointed to have to miss a test match," he said.

"I've had a problem with my right hand for the last six weeks which has got progressively worse. I hope to be available for selection for the Sydney test [starting next Thursday]."

He was replaced by the reserve wicketkeeper, James Foster, who at 22 is young enough to be his son.

Foster kept with extreme tidiness on a day during which Australia conducted normal business and destroyed England's attack.

Stewart's injury was merely the latest, though almost certainly not the last, in a bizarre catalogue dating back to the touring squad's selection.

He has seen the hand specialist who successfully treated Shane Warne, and it is in his nature to want to get back as soon as possible.

But England have to let Stewart go some day.

He has not played well behind the stumps on this tour, possibly, it now transpires, because of the dodgy digit. And, although he has scored two 50s at the crease, he has also bagged a pair.

Synovitis causes inflammation around the joint. Stewart has a tender area at the base of his index finger. This test would have been his 75th match as England keeper and his 126th in all.

Although one veteran was reluctantly forced to start contemplating the end of his test career, another firmly rejected the invitation to do any such thing. Australia's captain, Steve Waugh, has been under enormous pressure lately because he has had a long runs drought.

The entire country has an opinion on whether he should stay or go, but the crowd in Melbourne made its feelings clear by giving him a standing ovation all the way to the wicket.

Waugh has said he will make a decision after the fifth test. However, he made his intent clear when he came out on Thursday and blasted England from the start.

His team-mates, who would certainly want him to continue, were delighted.

Justin Langer said: "He was in excellent spirits. He was ruthless and it was great to bat with him."

Waugh went on yesterday to make 77.

- INDEPENDENT