Bummer. However, I’m glad it’s been decided now, so that whoever replaces him has time to settle in.

Well, I completely agree with what the England selectors have done, and found Andrew Miller’s piece over at Cricinfo somewhat meanspirited. The ECB haven’t given up on Vaughan yet, and I don’t blame them. The idea that dumping Vaughan and appointing the as-yet-unfit Flintoff as permanent captain (which is what Miller and other people are insinuating should be done) is somehow going to magically improve England’s form is ridiculous. It strikes me that professional cricketers are more capable of living with a bit of uncertainty than cricket writers and pundits are.

Some nice quotes here from Hoggard in the Daily Mirror yesterday;

“On the return drive north [after Yorkshire’s match at Arundel a week or so ago where Vaughan and Hoggard last played together] , Michael Vaughan was in the passenger seat and he asked me if I fancied a gallop with the A team to warm up for the Test series.

“He made one phone call and said, ‘That’s settled - you’re playing.’

“Bear in mind he had just suffered a setback with his knee, and his mind must have been wandering towards more serious matters, but that’s a measure of the man.

“Of course England have missed Vaughanie this year because he’s a class player, a top-notch captain and he’s always blunt when you need straight talking rather than waffle.

“But it shouldn’t matter who captains England - I’m old enough and ugly enough to know my job is exactly the same whether it’s Michael Vaughan, Freddie Flintoff, Andrew Strauss or my own mother calling the shots.

“We should be able to perform the same way as we did before anything happened to Vaughanie, and bowlers who can’t put it in the right spot are looking for excuses if they hide behind an injured captain.

“I tried to keep my feet on the ground after we won the Ashes because I knew a winter on the subcontinent would be bloody hard work, and I wasn’t disappointed.

“We haven’t won any of our last three Test series, but we need to put those disappointments behind us and prove we are capable of beating the Aussies again.

“In patches we have looked a good side again this year, but we’ve let ourselves down once or twice and it’s about time we put together 20 days of solid, consistent cricket.

“We need to go over to Australia believing we can retain the Ashes, and the best way to reinforce that belief is to beat Pakistan at home.”

Interesting comments for two reasons: Vaughan still ably managing the team from the sidelines, and Hoggard’s belief that current form has got nothing to do with temporary captainship.

Just wish that we Aussies had the bowlers and batsmen to fill the Poms with dread. I’m not sure where they are coming from but Vaughan’s abscence makes things a little easier.

My only conncern is that the Boxing Day Test is going to be a dead rubber! I have tickets to it! And im not going to any of the first three ‘live’ tests!

as someone said above, English cricket is in a real mess!

Well, that’s that then . . .

Anyone want cheap tickets to the Perth test?! I only really wanted to see Vaughany hit a century. We will probably never see him bat again in a test in Australia. Real downer . . .

Liked Hoggard’s comments, Kathy, and both your conclusions at the end.

Does it seem to anyone else that the ECB is stuffing things up again with too much cricket? I mean, really: The Ashes last year; two overseas tours in winter; seven tests in a summer; some stupid ICC tournament; then the most important Ashes ever; then the World Cup . . .! It’s ridiculous! Conversely, I haven’t heard a thing about the Australian team for a couple of months now. Bet they’re laughing their heads off, sitting back and relaxing. They will be much better off for the rest, than an exhausted and confused England side. England won the Ashes with the assistance of a lot of planning and forethought by Fletcher and Vaughan. One has to think they will have significantly less chance of retaining them, given the mismanagement of the preceding months, and the breakdown of numerous key players through injury whilst on tour.

HUGE downer . . . what with the World Cup and Murray out of Wimbledon . . . does the week get any worse?

With Vaughan out Englands chances take a battering, surely Flintoff cannot be asked to captain the side? that would be stupid even by English standards. If England can somehow unearth some leadership from within it’s ranks and get at least three of it’s best fast bowlers on the field it still has an outside chance against Australia.
The first big problem though is surviving the series against Pakistan.

Good Luck

So Casey, do you think it might be a secret English plot to surprise the Aussies with Vaughan back for the first Test?! If only that turned out to be true!