But the frequent comings and goings, unusually chaotic this year, are unlikely to happen again, with Clive Hitchcock, of the ICC, saying: ``It is just the way it has worked out this summer.''

EVEN England's most successful batsman was gripped by the tension of Headingley. Graham Gooch, watching the last two days of the fifth Test at his Essex home, found that South African wickets seemed to fall whenever he was walking up or down his stairs. So there the selector stayed, in true cricketing superstition fashion, crouched on his staircase, just able to peer at his TV through a door, until Makhaya Ntini's wicket fell . . .

ENGLAND's junior player Andy Flintoff was quickly seen snatching a pin-up from the dressing room wall when the BBC cameras were invited in to broadcast celebration scenes on Monday.

The picture of model Jordan was even autographed for Flintoff although observers felt the handwriting looked suspiciously like that of a senior England player rather than the subject herself and the Lancastrian said: ``I thought I'd better rip it down quickly in case my girlfriend wasn't too pleased.'' Jordan, however, is keen to play a part in future England campaigns. ``They can keep me as their mascot for as long as they like,'' she said. ``I used to play cricket at school, so I know my leg before from my caught behind.'' Quite.