Bill Bridge: Forward planning proves waste of time for Capello as injury list grows

Capello's initial and most important statement was to the effect that he would not be taking to South Africa any player not fully match fit; now we are into semantics as he and his spokesmen, those who speak to friendly journalists in dark corridors or discreet mobile phone conversations, try to camouflage the extent to which his "fully fit" mantra has been, of necessity, devalued or, in some cases, ignored.

Capello knows that he has too many players far from 100 per cent fit who will have to be included in his training squad and that several of those will indeed take the flight to Johannesburg.

We must believe what Manchester United's medical team tell us about Wayne Rooney, without whom England would have no chance of lifting the World Cup. The groin and ankle injuries which have bothered the golden boy do not seem serious enough to warrant his absence and the rest he has enjoyed over the past weeks will not have done him any harm after a demanding season.

But United's prognosis on Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves is less optimistic. Capello will have to take Ferdinand; to do otherwise would mean passing the armband to Steven Gerrard, who is hardly playing well enough to be worthy of a place in the team let along lead it, or restoring John Terry as captain, a move which would cause untold damage to the spirit within the camp.

Now that Ledley King has proved he can play twice in a week he seems sure of his ticket as cover for Ferdinand – although how someone with long-standing knee ligament problems who is unable to train between matches can be classed as match fit is a mystery here. A far better bet would be his excellent Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson.

Gareth Barry, Capello's first-choice defensive midfielder, is another under an injury cloud, in his case with a damaged ankle which, we are told, could mean an absence of up to four weeks.

Add to the mix doubts as to whether Jamie Carragher will return to the colours after a desperate plea from Capello and his henchmen, fears that Aaron Lennon, Joleon Lescott and Glen Johnson will not be able to prove themselves "match fit" and the unresolved issue over which striker plays alongside Rooney – with Peter Crouch perhaps edging ahead of the lumbering Emile Heskey – and you can see why old Fabio has not been sleeping too well of late.

His announcement tomorrow will tell us much, not only about England's chance in South Africa, but also about how Capello intends to play what is essentially the hand of a desperate man.

No matter how thorough the planning, how meticulous the selection process, Capello has had something confirmed he knew from the beginning but was too clever to mention: you can rarely pick from full strength. He will have to go with players he knows will not be fully fit – and face the consequences.

IT would be stretching things to say that watching England in the World Twenty20 has been an undiluted pleasure – too much swishing, slashing and slogging, too many tired dancing girls and bored steel bandsmen for that – but the fact that Paul Collingwood's team have actually looked as though they are enjoying themselves has been a welcome diversion from the tedium.

That enjoyment has come in part from a solid team performance based on what is obviously a good team spirit but the chief driving force has been the re-emergence of Kevin Pietersen as one of the most destructive batsmen in the game.

Since he lost the England captaincy then went through a period of injury Pietersen appeared to be in danger of losing his way but, as all good coaches will tell us at the drop of a contract, form is temporary, class is permanent.

In his two innings against Pakistan and South Africa Pietersen showed that he is once again relishing his cricket and that bodes well for the summer. His return home for a couple of days' paternity leave also gives England the chance to prove that they are not a one-man team.

On the darker side of the game, Twenty20 and its associated politics does not appear to be taking cricket in a positive direction. Given the murk that has enveloped the short form of the game in India, where it is undoubtedly a cash cow of the milkiest order, and the mysteries of alleged links between India and some English county clubs it is perhaps time we had some sign of leadership from Giles Clarke and his friends at the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Yorkshire, thankfully, were quick to deny any part in under-cover meetings with the agenda of a city-based franchise centred on the Test match grounds but there is something in the air; rumours of a Premier League-like breakaway are buzzing too strongly to be ignored. We may be heading for another Kerry Packer scenario.

Reducing the County Championship, redrawing the one-day programme, linking English teams with Indian franchises, even treading on the Test match schedule, could all be by-products of the tremors within the game. What we need above all is a little transparency.

and another thing...

THERE can be no doubt that Barry Hearn will do his utmost to sort out the mess which is threatening the existence of professional snooker following the allegations made against John Higgins but there remains a feeling that perhaps he is not the right man for the job.

As chief of the game's governing body, Hearn had to make a statement in the strongest possible terms to allay those – like sponsors, broadcasters and the paying public – whose suspicions need to be addressed quickly and ruthlessly.

But Hearn is a snooker man to the core, he has promoted the game and managed some of its leading players. He may know where a few skeletons are lurking but there has to be a risk that he is too closely identified with the game to be able to take a totally objective view on the way dishonesty has increasingly come to be associated with the green baize.

If the forthcoming inquiry leaves even the smallest question unanswered then the game, at professional level, will be gone.

Bring in an outsider Barry.