The Hindu : Sport : Vaughan back at the helm

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Vaughan back at the helm

Ted Corbett

His first match on return will be Tuesday's Twenty20 at Sydney

TAKING OVER: Michael Vaughan makes a comeback to the England team as skipper for the triangular series in Australia. — PHOTO: AP

SYDNEY: Michael Vaughan took the England reins in his confident hands once again and said all the right things and promised 2007 will be a better year. He is a practised hand of course, the man behind the Ashes success of 2005, winner of 19 of his 33 Tests as captain, who began his leadership career by beating South Africa in a one-day series — so captivating his own side that they no longer noticed that Nasser Hussain was captain.

Vaughan has also won 25 of 48 one-day matches as England skipper. So on Saturday, as the worst kept secret even on this tour was confirmed — that Andrew Flintoff was stepping down — Vaughan had an audience in a posh central Sydney hotel praying for better times to come after the 5-0 thrashing in the Ashes.

Vaughan said: "It's been a tough year. 2006 hasn't gone as we'd have planned and it's a great challenge to make 2007 a lot, lot better. The team are sorry things haven't gone to plan but we need to learn from the mistakes we've made and create a winning culture again."

Vaughan has stepped up his recovery by playing for the England Academy side in Perth and more recently MCC, scoring 27 in a tour match at Bowral, and bowling six overs. His first match back at the helm will be Tuesday's Twenty20 at Sydney.

Mental frailties

"I inherit a very talented team, but I expect a few mental frailties from what has happened," Vaughan added. "There will be effects from a 5-0 thrashing, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. But this is a great opportunity to start afresh, develop a strategy for the one-day game and build up to a World Cup."

Of course, there is a problem. If Vaughan's knee collapses under the strain of 50 overs in the field, 25 overs at the batting crease and five overs of off-spin, the selectors will look foolish as they ask either Flintoff or Andrew Strauss to take over the captaincy again. David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, presented the switch to Vaughan as a move back to status quo.

He said: "It will be a fantastic boost for everyone to have Michael Vaughan back as captain for the one-day series. His leadership experience will be invaluable as we prepare for a tough series against an excellent Australian team. It is to Andrew Flintoff's credit that he was prepared to take on the responsibility of leading the Test side in Australia in Michael's absence. But Michael is the England captain and he will now begin the task of preparing the team for the challenges that lie ahead this winter."

Lacking in experience

Vaughan had not just said the right thing. He had done the right thing too. "I spoke to Flintoff about the situation yesterday (on Friday). I felt for him being captain. It's a great job but a tough job. He's lacked the experience that I had, and those guys have been replaced by talented young players in pressure situations."

Following England's 10-wicket defeat at Sydney, Duncan Fletcher spoke about the concerns he has regarding Flintoff's workload. Vaughan has a mediocre ODI record, averaging 28.36 after 74 matches, but England's current plight left few options. "He's done a remarkable job in the pressure he's been under," added Vaughan, "but I want him back to how he was a year ago, when he was a leader through his batting, bowling, and fielding." Vaughan's first task will be to guide England through the Twenty20 match against Australia at the SCG on Tuesday.

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