Shaun Tait makes his Ashes debut today, a year after Tim Wellock watched his Durham nightmare unfold last summer.

WHEN Durham finally abandoned their desperate efforts to sort out Shaun Tait's run-up problems last season I wrote that he would doubtless return to haunt us in the Ashes series.

Huge excitement surrounded Tait's arrival for the final month following the departure of Shoaib Akhtar as he already had the reputation as the quickest and best of Australia's up-and-coming pacemen.

In his first match for Durham, against Somerset at Riverside, he ran into no-ball problems in his first over. It was a case of started badly and faded away.

Somerset batted only once in the rain-affected match and Tait had none for 113 in 12 overs. The next match, at Colchester, was also ruined by rain and after working hard with Tait Durham gambled on giving him another chance.

Straightaway the no-balls started again and Tait, who has a long delivery stride, quickly reached a point where he could barely run in at all, taking none for 63 in six overs.

It has been reported that Durham then sent him home, casting him adrift as though in disgrace, whereas they kept on working with him for a further two weeks and he has thanked bowling coach Alan Walker for his efforts.

Everything apparently fell back into place as soon as Tait got home, and only leg-spinner Stuart MacGill took more wickets in the Pura Cup, Australia's leading domestic competition.

If there's a cry of "no-ball" early in Tait's first spell at Trent Bridge, he might go to pieces. But don't bank on it.

TAIT'S DURHAM RECORD

Bowling

v Somerset: 6-0-63-0 (5 no balls)

v Essex: 12-0-113-0 (2 wides, 21 no balls)

Batting

v Somerset: 0 (8b, 11min)

v Essex: 4 (10b, 7min).