DAVID GRAVENEY has pulled out of the fight with Ray Illingworth for the England chairman of selectors' job - less than 24 hours after Lord's confirmed him as a challenger.

His decision yesterday left Illingworth to continue, now unopposed, as England chairman.

Graveney has effectively been forced to choose between his existing paid post as secretary of the Cricketers' Association, the players union, and the chance to land English cricket's top job.

The Cricketers' Association said there would be "unacceptable difficulties" for the association if Graveney took on both jobs and he had been instructed to withdraw from the proposed election.

In a terse statement Graveney said that he "accepted the instruction".

Graveney's backers, led by county champions Warwickshire, had insisted that the former Gloucestershire captain's union responsibilities would not affect the way he ran the England set up.

The ramifications of yesterday's remarkable about turn, however, are huge, and the whole episode throws little credit on any of the parties concerned.

Former Gloucestershire and Durham captain Graveney, in fact, only agreed to stand as Warwickshire and Surrey's nomination when it was made clear to him that John Barclay, this winter's England assistant tour manager, was unwilling to stand against Illingworth.

Illingworth, who for the past 12 months has combined his chief selector role with that of team manager, had come in for increasing criticism.