Allan Border has quit as an Australia cricket selector for the second time in less than 18 months.
The former national captain rejoined the selection panel in June after a 14-month break but said he now realized he had too many commitments to properly do the job.
"I loved working as a selector and this influenced me to accept the invitation to rejoin this year," Border said in a statement yesterday.
"But my various commitments are far heavier than I had expected back in mid-year and I don't think it is appropriate to do what is a really important job if I am not able to give it the full attention it deserves," he said.
Border, who played 156 Test matches and 273 limited-overs internationals, remains on the boards Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia.
His original stint on the selection panel lasted from 1998 until April last year. He quit before the ill-fated Ashes tour of England, when the Australians relinquished the Ashes for the first time in almost two decades.
Australia is trying to win back the Ashes when it hosts England in the 2006-2007 series starting next month.
Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor said he had accepted Border's decision with regret.
"Allan has been a tireless, selfless and insightful servant of Australian cricket and those of us who have had the good fortune to work alongside him are most grateful for his continuing contribution to the game," he said.
Cricket Australia must now find a new selector to join Andrew Hilditch, Merv Hughes and David Boon to pick the side for the home Ashes series against England starting with the first test in Brisbane on Nov. 23.
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