Vaughan to be a leader

That set the seal on 12 astonishing years in which he has risen from schoolboy cricketer to leader of his country and one of the world's most gifted batsmen.

Former Yorkshire coach Doug Padgett, who lives in the village of Micklethwaite between Bingley and Keighley, always had a knack for being able to spot talented young players but even he must be amazed at Vaughan's progress since he first noticed him playing on the outfield at Abbeydale Park, Sheffield, during the tea interval of a Championship match.

Padgett hurried out to check the lad's background and identity and he discovered that although Vaughan was born in Eccles, Manchester, he had been brought up in Sheffield and was feeling his way with the Sheffield Collegiate club.

It did not take Yorkshire long to realise that they had unearthed a nugget and in 1991 Vaughan joined the newly formed Academy of Cricket at Bradford Park Avenue, so becoming the first player in modern times to be born outside Yorkshire yet still be given a contract by the White Rose county.

Only a few weeks ago, I said in this column that the sooner the smiling Vaughan replaced Nasser Hussain as England Test captain the better I would like it, but still the suddenness of Hussain's resignation came as something of a bombshell.

I have never accepted that Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher together have done as much for England as is often claimed and in the way we now select our national team I think we have gone backwards rather than forwards.

But, equally, I have never once questioned Hussain's loyalty, devotion or dedication as England captain and he had obviously reached the end of his tether to pack it in immediately after the first Test in the series against South Africa.

Even so, the end could not have been too long in coming because Vaughan had been such an outstanding success as England's new one-day captain that he was always going to push Hussain out of the Test spotlight as well.

Perhaps the straw which broke the camel's back for Hussain was seeing Vaughan score a magnificent 156 in the first innings at Edgbaston last week while he could only manage a single.

Hussain had already been let down in the game by his bowlers who toiled in the field, while South Africa amassed 594-5 declared and he probably felt that time was running out and that he could not stand in Vaughan's way any longer.

The rise in Vaughan's fortunes has been well documented but it is probably not realised just how important were his formative years at the Academy at Bradford when he was able to bat on some of the best pitches in the country.

Vaughan appreciates the value of his time there to such an extent that he rates his first innings for the Academy against East Bierley as one of the most significant he has ever played in his climb to the top.

He scored 14 and says Padgett was sufficiently impressed to give him a call later and inform him that he had chosen him for a Second XI game.

Now that Vaughan is in charge of England it will be fascinating to see how he handles his players in general and his Yorkshire colleagues in particular.

Anthony McGrath may not find himself under quite the same threat from Graham Thorpe because Vaughan will be looking forwards rather than back and will probably want to give his county captain a good run.

But would Darren Gough have got back into the England team so quickly with so little Championship cricket behind him in which to prove his stamina and fitness?

It is something we will never know but Gough has now lost his staunchest ally in Hussain.

Then there is the question of how quickly Vaughan will want Matthew Hoggard back in the England side.

Hoggard, out of cricket since late May with a torn cartilage which required surgery to repair it, is now ready to start playing again and he has intimated that he would like to look to the third Test at Trent Bridge starting on August 14 as a possible comeback date for England.

But Yorkshire Seconds have been twiddling their thumbs all this week and Hoggard's first significant match in his fight to regain full fitness could be in their three-day clash with Warwickshire at Walmley which begins next Tuesday.

That would be his last possible game for a Yorkshire side before the third Test and Vaughan may feel that his preparations have not been sufficient to warrant an England return at that stage.

In any case, Hoggard's early season form for Yorkshire was nothing to write home about and if Vaughan has kept his eye on the county scene he may have noticed that another Yorkshire paceman, Steve Kirby, has knocked over a few stumps of late.

Updated: 11:10 Saturday, August 02, 2003