mvaughan

I'm not surprised by the news. I've realised this decision has been coming for a few weeks now, just from the way Straussy has been carrying himself. I know from my own experience that once you've decided to go, you become a bit 'too cool for school' and are enjoying your batting instead of the intense focus you'd normally have as captain. We know he has been struggling to get runs so this, tied in with losing to South Africa and the KP affair, would have tipped him over the edge. I'm also not surprised at all he's retiring from all forms of cricket. He doesn't just want to hang around scoring a few runs for Middlesex; he's got a good family around him and plenty of other interests - he's not just about cricket. The highlight for me when you're talking about playing with Straussy...

[b]England go into the fourth and final Test looking for a series clean sweep. With fortunes unlikely to improve for the beleaguered tourists, Michael Vaughan expects another victory for Andrew Strauss' men.[/b] England were [b]absolutely devastating[/b] in their third Test victory over India and, with the fourth Test set to get under way on Thursday, the tourists will be feeling thoroughly demoralised. [b]England[/b] have the momentum, the depth and ability to make it a 4-0 clean sweep series win and, at a generous 2.64, I will certainly be backing them to do so. If the clouds are out above the Oval, which they may be on day one, then the ball could seam and swing but I struggle to see 20 wickets in this Indian attack. Saying that, I do anticipate a longer game this time. India's...

It was a tough choice that Andrew Strauss and the England selectors had to make but in the end I think they got it right. It appeared to be a straight shoot-out between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara for that middle-order slot that belonged to Paul Collingwood for so long and in the end they decided to go with the Irishman. There were two good reasons as to why Morgan got the nod. The first was obviously to do with that majestic 193 he scored against Sri Lanka for the England Lions last week. Bopara was very much in the driving seat prior to that but despite playing no four-day cricket for a long time Morgan came to the crease and delivered when it mattered, in front of the men who mattered. The fact they gave so much importance to that innings also highlights the importance of doing well...

There are plenty of ingredients you need to win a World Cup and one of them is a good, strong, experienced captain. I always think that this roles is even more important in limited-overs matches than Test cricket. After all, bowling changes, batting line-ups, fielding placements and when to take powerplays are often the difference between success and failure. The captain who gets most of them right often ends up on the winning side. So who's the real deal? I've already said India are my pick to win this tournament and the fact that MS Dhoni is the man in charge was part of my reasoning for that. It obviously helps that he's got a wonderful set of players at his disposal and a great balance to his side that always gives him plenty of options whether batting or bowling. But where Dhoni...