Cricket: Injured Doull back home today

MANCHESTER - New Zealand opening bowler Simon Doull arrives in Auckland this morning after being forced to cut short his second cricket tour of England in five years because of injury.

News of his early departure was a big blow to the rest of the squad, with manager John Graham saying Doull's experience and leadership would be sorely missed.

His chances of playing any further part in the tour were dashed two days ago when he suffered a recurrence of the injury he experienced against Hampshire last month when his knee locked up.

After arthroscopic surgery he was on course for a comeback, but his knee locked up again in the dressing-room during the game at Leicester.

Doull had to cut short his 1994 England tour after damaging his shoulder while fielding.

The 29-year-old Northern Districts bowler, who has taken 97 test wickets, will see Auckland-based surgeon Barry Tietjens for further treatment.

"Hopefully he will fight back for the Indian tour," Graham said.

Andrew Penn, who took six wickets in the first innings of the last tour match, against Leicestershire, will stay with the team for the rest of the tour, although there is no guarantee he will play another game.

New Zealand have just two games - against Essex and the fourth test - after the third test which begins at Old Trafford tonight.

Meanwhile, former New Zealand bowler John Bracewell, the Gloucestershire coach, has accused former England players of undermining their own team.

New Zealand received hardly any credit for their win at Lord's to level the series, with most media attention focusing on the inadequacies of the English players.

Bracewell, who played 41 tests for New Zealand until 1990, said former players should not be so tough on the modern-day England side.

"The slagging off from past players about the current standards doesn't help," he said.

"In Australia, no past players slag off the current players. It's part of the psyche. You never get a past All Black criticising a current rugby player in New Zealand either.

"Most of the past players who do comment about the game were these current players' heroes and one of the reasons why they wanted to play cricket.

"One of the reasons why the [English] game isn't going too well is because when a player makes a mistake, someone says hang, draw and quarter them.

"You get to a stage like at Lord's, where experienced players like Alec Stewart and Mark Butcher play disastrous shots because basically the pressure of criticism became too much.

"In Australia, though, the criticism never comes; they never knock their own. Afterwards Mark Taylor or someone can have a beer with Ian Chappell, and Ian Chappell will talk to him about his game."

Members of the New Zealand team have been surprised at the heavy criticism of the entire England test side by the English media in the wake of the second test. - NZPA