(LONDON) Graham Thorpe deserves respect for making the tough decision to turn down the chance to go on the Ashes tour of Australia, according to his England and Surrey team-mate Alec Stewart.

Thorpe was picked this month in the 16-man England party only after convincing selectors he was in the right frame of mind to undertake the trip Down Under despite his recent marital problems.

England's selectors admitted at the time it was a gamble and that gamble has now backfired with Thorpe contacting the England management in Colombo last night to say he will not be touring after all.

Thorpe had managed to convince the England hierarchy - skipper Nasser Hussain, coach Duncan Fletcher and chairman of selectors David Graveney - that he was ready to tackle the tour.

But the 33-year-old admitted he had found it difficult to remained focused on his game and felt the only option was to pull out now to give the chance for England to find a replacement before they depart on October 17.

And Stewart, who himself chose not to tour India last winter, claims Thorpe was right to take action now rather than leave it too late.

He told BBC Radio Five Live: ''It's a decision everyone has got to respect. He has gone through a difficult 12 months.

''About a month ago he felt he was over the worst of things, but he has been very honest and come clean and said, 'look, I am not feeling in the right mental state.'

''It is a very private thing, a very personal thing. You can only imagine to start thinking what he is going through.

''So credit to Thorpey for announcing it now rather than leaving it to the day before the first Test and announcing it when it would have sent plans into chaos.

''He has been fair to himself, to the selectors and to the team. It now enables the selectors to pick someone else.''.

Former England captain Stewart did, though, admit Thorpe's experience would be missed as they look to regain the Ashes for the first time in 15 years.

''He is a fine cricketer, the type England needs and a cricketer which England will certainly miss on the Ashes tour,'' said Stewart.

''It is a big blow from a cricket point of view - but your private life and family must always come first. He is an honest lad. He has made this decision for his reasons.

''That's why I believe the team, the press and the public should respect his decision. The family comes first and he has been big and brave enough to come clean now.

''He is going to get his private life settled and some structure back into his life and then once all that is in place he can start thinking about his cricket.''

Another former England skipper, Graham Gooch was also quick to admit that some things in life are more important than playing a game.

''Some things do supersede playing sport and getting things right with your wife and children is of paramount importance,'' said Gooch.

Thorpe had sounded confident that he could handle the demands of a long arduous tour to Australia when he was selected for the squad.

But Gooch added: ''Talking about doing it and the reality of getting on a plane for three months are two different things.

''On cricket tours you're away from home, from your family, for three months. Graham obviously knows what that is like and, with his present circumstances, I guess he found it too difficult to handle.''

Thorpe has a chequered recent history with regard to availability for overseas tours and this summer the 33-year-old Surrey left-hander retired from one-day international cricket in order to devote more time to his young family.

Mike Gatting, the last man to lead England to an Ashes series win on Australian soil in 1987, also conceded Thorpe had probably made the right choice.

The former England captain felt personal pressures would have restricted the batsman's impact Down Under.

He told Sky Sports News: ''When you are talking about children and things, it is not going to be sorted out there and then - it is going to take time to do that.

''It is just unfortunate it has come up during an Ashes tour when someone like Graham Thorpe would have been invaluable as the player he was.

''But as we saw during the summer, he was not quite with us a little of the time and the tour would probably not have seen the best of Graham Thorpe and that's a shame.

''I think hopefully in the winter he will sort himself out and it will make a big difference to him.''

Gatting, though, revealed players' families were often able to visit on tours Down Under.

He continued: ''Family and friends like to come to Australia and the ECB make provisions for family to fly out the families when the boys need them see them.

''They have done very well in making it an easier trip for the people concerned.''

Gatting feels the Ashes series will provide a stern test for the entire squad.

He said: ''I think they [ECB] had an easy ride with Thorpey saying he was going because I am not sure anybody has quite put their name up in bright lights to say 'pick me'.

''It will be a big test for our boys, but I am very happy with our top six batters and hope they can do what they did in the summer. It is going to be a great test.''

However, John Emburey, who captained England against the West Indies in 1988, was shocked by Thorpe's decision to pull out of the tour. He told Sky Sports News: ''It's a big surprise to everyone. Australia is the best place to tour and they are best team in the world. You want to be part of the England side that knocks them off that pedestal.''

24 Sep, 2002