As Vaughan's average slides to 42...

.. I thought I'd look into his career a bit and see how he's performed in order to drop an average which peaked at 51.57 (Edgbaston 2003 v SA)in his prime.

He's played 45 Tests since then - all as captain - at an average of 36.75.

So the next time he talks about averages over 40, you know what's he's really worth...

So, should he give up the captaincy and try and have a productive couple of years with the bat before the eyes start to go? There's no doubting his class, but the stats are there for all to see- He averages 15 more runs per innings when not captain.

Or you accept that the brief purple patch in his career was the exception not the rule. He averaged about 35 before it and that's what he's been plodding along at ever since it.

It's the Steve Harmison story, but with batting. And less whingeing.

I'm staying away from this thread.

This debate was done to death on C4 anyway. It pretty much happens every time he doesn't score a century in a series. Then he scores a century that sexually heals us all and everyone shuts up.

BTW - Sidebottom said it was Vaughany's captaincy that started his 7-for off. Vaughany told him to go around the wicket to How though Sidebottom rarely does it and it kicked off Sidey's demolition.

What a genius. Telling his bowler to go around the wicket - no one else in the history of the game could ever have thought up that.

Knighthood's in the post...

Come on now, be fair, you can't expect bowlers to think for themselves these days.

I think you are all being totally unfair to our esteemed capitain Herr Michael Vaughan,
I really do.
.... especially LLL who gets "sexually healed" when watching Vaughan score a century - which is about as rare as catching sight of Haley's Comet on an overcast night from the bottom of the Pacific.
Nevertheless, at least we can be merciful that LLL has finally discovered a form of sexual healing - albeit rather unorthodox. Most people prefer a good bonk - LLL gets his rocks off watching Vaughan scoring a ton on tele .... poor sod must be totally frustrated ... it's been so long since Vawn caused any sexual healing .... unless re-runs of 4 year old video clips count!!