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Farewell to one of English cricket's record captains

MICHAEL Vaughan ranks as the best captain I have ever played under and will be remembered as the man whose leadership skills played a huge part in winning the most exciting Ashes series ever.

I can't speak for the other England players of the time, but Michael certainly managed to get an extra five per cent out of me by being calm in the face of adversity and authoritative without needing to raise his voice.



News of his retirement from playing after a glittering 17-year career that peaked with England's 2005 Ashes success came as a surprise to me. When I spoke to him at Headingley during Somerset's recent game there, I could tell he was uncertain about his future, but I never expected him to make a decision so quickly.

Whether Michael was England's most astute captain on the pitch I couldn't say because so little would separate a number of candidates in that respect.

What set him apart for me was the calmness with which he dealt with players and issues. There was no shouting or screaming, even when he had to give us a ticking off, yet by being the sort of character he was he commanded respect and exuded authority.

Michael also had the knack of being inspirational by saying the right thing at the right time. A case in point was at the end of the third Ashes Test of 2005 at Old Trafford when England just failed to win and go 2-1 up in the series.

We were all gutted in the dressing room afterwards because we thought a great opportunity had been missed, which might not come again.

Michael called us over and pointed to the Australia balcony where they were cock-a-hoop at having avoided defeat.

"Look at that, lads," said our skipper. "That's the only time you will see Australia celebrating a draw. It shows we are on the brink of something amazing."

I remember thinking 'My God, he's right' and experiencing a real lift. It was all about reading the moment for Michael and coming up with exactly the right message to his team.

We have known each other a long time because we played England Under-17s together and he was my captain in my second year as an Under-19 international.

Even back then he was regarded as a natural leader because nothing fazed him. He was soon appointed England A captain because of his maturity and the fact that he always seemed assured in what he wanted to do.

He never showed too much emotion whether the team were doing well or struggling. If we were winning, he kept feet firmly on the ground and, if we lost a game, there would be no sense of panic.

Professional sportsmen appreciate having that sort of person at the helm. There is so much emotion surrounding what we do and when someone is in charge who is capable of rising above it and making cool, calculated decisions it transmits to the team.

Michael was exactly the right England captain for the time. When I first played international cricket in 2000 Nasser Hussain was skipper and he was more of a sergeant-major type as, along with coach Duncan Fletcher, he attempted to whip the team into shape. That was right for the time, too. There was a mentality about England cricketers that was a bit soft and Nasser was a very strong character, who began the transformation into a side capable of beating Australia.

But by 2003, when Michael took over, a different approach was needed. We had the players and the disciplines in place to be successful and it was a case of letting individuals loose to express themselves.

Michael could be a tough leader, but only when he needed to be. Behind closed doors he would tell people straight if he wasn't happy with them, but a lot of his communication with the other players was done in a hotel room or over a drink or dinner. That's the way he operated.

He had enormous pride in being England captain and knew the responsibility that went with it. Not satisfied with making the team better, he wanted the game as a whole in this country to improve – and because standards were raised at international level there was a knock-on effect in county cricket.

His own record as a player against Australia was second to none. In the 2002-03 series there, he established himself as the number one in the world with a series of sensational performances.

I didn't get many runs myself on that trip so I did a lot of watching and it's true to say that Michael was playing different cricket to everyone else. Wherever the Aussies bowled at him, he whacked it.

If they pitched it up, he drove it through the covers for four and, if they dropped short, he pulled it over mid-wicket for six. It was unlike typical English batting – until Kevin Pietersen came along!

I owe Michael an enormous debt for bringing the best out of me as an England player. I know his knee problems have had a major bearing on the decision to call time on his career and I wish him every success in whatever he chooses to do next.

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