Vaughan retires from all forms of professional cricket

LONDON - Former England captain Michael Vaughan Tuesday retired from all forms of cricket bringing down the curtains on an international career spanning over 11 years.

“After a great deal of consideration, I’ve decided that now is the right time to retire from cricket. It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country and this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make,” Vaughan said.

The 34-year-old made a last effort to make a comeback in the team to play against Australia in the Ashes but failed to impress the selectors after an uneventful outing with his county team Yorkshire early in the season. He admitted that the failure prompted him to take the decision.

But Vaughan will be remembered as the most successful English captain with a win record of 26 from 51 matches and more importantly led England to an Ashes victory in 2005 after 18 years. He also captained the side to a first Test series win in South Africa for forty years - also in 2005. Under him England were on a record eight consecutive Test wins in 2004.

Vaughan scored 18 Test hundreds after his debut in 1999 and was ranked the No1 batsman in the world following the 2002-03 Ashes Series in Australia in which he made 633 runs including three centuries.

“Having played almost non-stop for sixteen seasons, I feel that the time is right for the focus to shift to the next generation. We have some fantastic talent coming through the English counties and, with the next Ashes series upon us, now is the time for the younger players to rise to the challenge of building on the success achieved in English cricket in the last few years,” he said.

Vaughan thanked all his fans, England and Yorkshire cricket officials, family and all fellow players and coaches he has worked with.

“I have not played well enough. I haven’t had the rhythm or form to be picked for an Ashes squad. I don’t think it would have been the right decision to put me in,” he said.

Vaughan also appealed to his former team-mates to repeat the 2005 Ashes triumph over Australia.

“I’d like to wish Andrew Strauss and the current England team success in this Ashes series,” said Vaughan. “I know they have the drive, ambition and abilities to repeat the success from 2005. Winning that series was most definitely the high point of my career”.