Vaughan's Role

Like Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan was earmarked for the England captaincy almost immediately after his introduction to international cricket. Despite claims that Mark Butcher and Adam Hollioake should be considered not long after Hussain retired from one-day internationals, it seemed almost certain that one member of England's formidable Test opening partnership would be crowned as his successor. The selectors chose Vaughan, and after a successful one-day campaign, he seemed like the obvious replacement when Nasser Hussain resigned the Test captaincy after the first match against South Africa.

The aspect of Vaughan's game that has elevated him above Trescothick and the rest of the England side is obviously his batting and his ability to consistently score big totals. Out of nine centuries, five have been scores above 150, including four above 175. Unfortunately, he has been unable to make any massive scores, failing to score a Test double-century, twice falling in the 190s. While Trescothick has been impressive, Vaughan has been consistently outstanding, topping the Test batting rankings early in 2003, after brilliant series against both India and Australia. Vaughan, who has been constantly complimented for his aggressive strokeplay, has scored at an impressive rate. His Test strike rate for 2002 was 63.78, a vast improvement on his 26.75 of 1999, his first year in international cricket. In addition, his elegant cover-drive and his assertive pull-shot have become regular and exciting sights.

However, many worry about the affect that the captaincy will have on his batting form. During the Natwest matches he had varied success, however prior to these he was not a regular in the one-day side, and had not shown as much promise in the shorter version of the game. Vaughan is not renowned for a tendency to get out to rash shots or at important times, and is already a senior member of a relatively young team. Therefore it is not evident that he needs to change his game in terms of responsibility or in an attempt to lead by example. However, the art of captaincy has eluded greater players than Vaughan, for example Ian Botham and Sachin Tendulkar both tried and struggled to lead their teams.

As well as strategical knowledge, assertiveness, concentration and awareness are vital skills to any captain. Vaughan's recent batting exhibitions have shown that he has these three skills, and it is also evident that he shows the same determination and patriotism that has recently been displayed by Graeme Smith. He has been described as a relaxed captain, and emphasises the necessity for the team to enjoy their cricket, something which can be overlooked within the modern rigours of international cricket. It will be interesting to see how he fares throughout the South African series, as well as the following tours to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies, as both captain and world-class batsman. Will he continue his current superb form, scoring even bigger scores, including that elusive double-century? Or will we see a slump in his so-far immaculate record?

Posted by Kelvin