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Vaughn CAPTAINING THE England cricket team is one of the toughest jobs in world sport and it has become no easier over the past decade as the team has slid down the world Test ladder.
The job became too much for class players and leaders like Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain as they were burdened with ordinary teams and over-ambitious expectations from the public and press. Not having won an Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia since the 1980s compounds the problem.
The man in the skipper's hot seat now is Michael Vaughan.
The 29-year-old Lancastrian, who plays county cricket for Yorkshire, may just be the best batsman produced by England since elegant left-hander David Gower.
He made his Test debut in South Africa in 1999 and has since established himself as one of the world's top opening batsmen with an impressive average of 46.53.
WORLD'S GREATEST ATTACKS
The right-hander truly made a name for himself during England's most recent journey to Australia. The tourists lost but Vaughan pushed himself into the upper echelon of batsmen with Test scores of 177, 145 and 183 against arguably the world's greatest attacks.
When Hussain quit the captaincy after last year's World Cup, there was little doubt whom the England selectors would choose to fill the intimidating void.
Now Vaughan is in the Caribbean hoping to confirm his class as a captain as well a batsman of the top order.
QUESTION: What phase is the England side in?
MICHAEL VAUGHAN: We're in a transitional phase at the moment. If you look at the team that beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan on the sub-continent three years ago, the likes of Atherton, Stewart and Gough have all retired from Test cricket. But we have some very promising young players who have already shown that they have what it takes to succeed at this level and will be looking to cement their places in the side on this tour.
Q: Who are your heroes?
MV: Outside of cricket, I enjoy golf and am a big Tiger Woods fan. He is a great role model because he works really hard on all aspects of his game and he has reaped the rewards as a result. Chris Waddle was a supremely gifted footballer and I was lucky enough to play in the same Sheffield Sunday league team as him after he had retired from the professional game. I am a big fan of David Beckham too. We have a habit of knocking successful people in England and I don't think he always gets the press he deserves. The way he has made such a smooth transition into the Real Madrid team from Manchester United shows what a class act he is.
Q: What is your best international performance to date?
MV: The hundred I made at Sydney last year during the Ashes Series was particularly special as it helped set up a win for the team in the last Test after we had been through some tough times out there. But the hundred I made at Kandy against Sri Lanka before Christmas was equally satisfying because it was my first as England captain and I really had to work hard for my runs against a world-class performer like (Muttiah) Muralitharan.
Q: Do you enjoy being captain and how tough do you find the job?
MV: Of course. It's a terrific honour to lead your country. It's a challenge at times and there are extra pressures on you as captain as well as off-the-field responsibilities to contend with. But I enjoy the job and since I took over last summer I've tried to encourage the other players in the team to take the same enjoyment from their cricket as I do.
GREATEST GOAL
Q: What is your greatest goal in cricket?
MV: To beat the Australians in an Ashes series.
Q: Are you married?
MV: Yes, I got married to my then girlfriend, Nicola, last autumn shortly before we went to Bangladesh.
Q: Do you play any other sports?
MV: I used to play a bit of football for a local league team in Sheffield, but I have had to concentrate on cricket since I came into the England team although I still enjoy the occasional kick-about with my England teammates. I also play golf - Ashley Giles is my regular partner on the course and we regularly take on (and beat!) Messrs Hussain and (Paul) Collingwood.
Q: Can England win a Test series in the West Indies for the first time in 36 years?
MV: We certainly believe that we can. But we are also aware that the West Indies are a tough proposition at home and we all have to play to our potential and work extremely hard if we are to be successful. I was part of the team that beat the West Indies in England for the first time in 31 years in 2000 and it would be nice to make a little piece of history again out here this spring.
- Tym Glaser
