Golden newboy Ed Joyce threatened to quit England last week over a dispute about underpaid wages. Joyce, 28, stuck two fingers up at the MCC just 24 hours after his maiden century in an England shirt kick started one of the most unexpected turnaround of fortunes in the history of the game. Joyce, phoning the MCC switchboard at 5.30am GMT in a Guinness-induced afternoon bender down-under, complains in a leaked recording of his unacceptable treatment by England management...

In a torrid of sarcasm and resentment, Joyce threatens legal action against Graveney, England chairman of selectors, declaring that he was "not doing much good", and threatening to quit England for a place in Ireland's squad for next month's World Cup should he not be paid more.

 

The leaked tape of the conversation - routinely recorded by the MCC's switchboard - was handed to our offices earlier today. It captures chief switchboard operator officer Tony Campus lost for words - and at one stage congratulating Joyce for his century. Campus remarked later that "he didn't know what else to say."

Meanwhile Joyce's legal team, Camp & Son Barrister's Ltd, have set to work putting together Joyce's case to the game's governing body, the ICC, to switch allegiances to Ireland, should English authorities refuse the pay rise request. The current ICC rules place a big question mark over such a move.

Edward Camp, Joyce's legal representative, stated that "Mr Joyce's treatment was entirely unacceptable and we feel his case strong. It is unfortunate that it has taken such an incident for Graveney and the MCC to proceed to any sensible discussion".

A later statement issued by the MCC stated that the organisation "would be looking into both the treatment of and the conduct of Edward Joyce". They rejected claims that the MCC had mistreated Joyce because of his former Irish roots, stating that "England's cricket team and its authorities encourage the reflection of Britain's multiculturalism in their own sport. At no stage do we pay anyone any differently according to their ethnic or national backgrounds."

Joyce's case is yet another bullet-in-the-chest for under-pressure Graveney, who was hospitalised for a mystery "stress-related illness" on the first day of the England's ill-fated Ashes campaign following stand-in captain Flintoff's decision to drop spin-guru Panesar.

Click here for full audio download of Joyce's conversation with the MCC.