It is a pity, then, that Europe's stability and growth pact, as it stands, is neither.

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"He was working hard and he took his chance great -- but obviously, it's a pity that the penalty didn't go in for him, " said Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.

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"It's a pity that George can't make the game - he had been bowling really well and settled in superbly to international cricket, " said Simmons.

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But there is still something unsettling about Mr Adams's unusual hints of resignation, his references to physical and emotional exhaustion, and the self-pity that for a while at least appears to have displaced the old self-confidence.

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