Most Vaughan-ted

At last the Barmy Army had something to cheer about. Ashes series are dramas in five acts, giving teams time to repair their reputations or else sink further into the clutches of defeatism. Most touring teams play 3 Tests and then go home, some of them with despatch. It is a tough tour with teams belaboured from the day they arrive till finally they depart, stronger or battered or both.

Presented with a fourth opportunity England showed some of the tenacity expected from a proud cricketing nation. Mistakes were made,mostly cuts at leg-spinners taken with aplomb by the marrow-grower at slip.Nontheless the Englishmen had to be prised from their watch and the home captain must periodically have pondered upon the wisdom of his decision to bowl again.His weary quartet worked hard on a pitch that refused to deteriorate. Nontheless the resistance did not last long enough to prevent anothe rheavy defeat when play resumes this morning.

Michael Vaughan led the fightback with a polished innings that confirmed his standing as amongst the most skilfull batsmen around. Hitherto Vaughan had not had the happiest of matches, floundering in the field and losing his wicket cheaply. Worse, he had seen his chum depart in dubious circumstances, leaving him to carry the flag. He responded with a forthright effort full of pulls and on-drives that sent the ball speeding across and sometimes over the boundary, an effort that took the contest into a fifth day.

Naturally the Army was delighted and started singing "you're going to bat again," and, more optimistically, "you're not winning any more." Vaughan is an excellent player with a wide range of shots at his disposal and a willingness to play them throughout his innings, a trait unusual amongst Yorkshire openers raised on sawdust and common-sense. He stands still, watches the ball closely , chooses his stroke and executes it firmly,a combination easier to achieve in the nets than on the field against a marauding bunch of Australians. He seems a self- contained type, whose batting has an easy rhthym about it often seen on the golf course but rarer amongst those protecting their stumps and torsos in the face of fierce and sustained assault. Certainly he is not the sort to be perturbed by bumpers or barbs.

These opponents cannot find a weakness in his game, or nothing more serious than a tendency to hit off-drives in the air and a hesistancy between the wickets that has so far promised more than it has delivered. Not that the Australians are alone in finding Vaughan hard to remove for the stylish and lengthy northener has scored six Test centuries this year, a tally that indicates not so much a rush of from as the sense of liberation enjoyed by those able to escape from self-imposed cages. For years Vaughan pottered around in the manner of a fellow waiting for runs and life to come his way.

Many men continue in this vein for the rest of their days because habits are hard to break. At some point Vaughan realised that he was not enjoying his cricket because he was taking it all too seriously. Rather than a game, cricket had become his life, and his self-esteem depended upon his performances, an absurdity that affects most sportsmen.

Acknowledging the folly of the po-faced approach, Vaughan decided to express himself at the crease. Immediately bowlers seemed to send down more long-hops and half-volleys which the opener put away gratefully. He has not looked back. Most particularly Vaughan learnt to play off the back foot, usually a weakpoint with tall batsmen. Last winter he pulled powerfully and effectively, thereby putting pressure on the bowlers to pitch up.

Yesterday Vaughan produced some of the best pulls seen in this country since the heyday of the mighty West Indians. Twice he pounced upon deliveries from Jason Gillespie pitching a foot short of the designated area, and sent them to the boundary with sweet and decisive swings of the bat. Nor did he fail to attack the turning ball, punishing the loose deliveries that appeared with some regularity, and stepping down the pitch to drive into the awaiting army. Englishmen used not to leave their crease with any conviction but Vaughan uses his feet confidently and smoothly.

His last 3 deliveries showed his spirit and expectations as a strike for 6 was followed by a sweep to the boundary and , finally, a loose late cut that was held at slip. Vaughan cursed himself as the Australians celebrated and the Barmy Army rose to salute a magnificent innings.

Although Robet Key also batted well, and mostly with his shirt tucked in, and the middle-order tried hard the decisive blow had been struck. Cricketers find out about themselves in Australia. At present it is the testing ground. Most visiting batsmen fail, undone by pitches , pressure and a probing attack... Vaughan arrived with an improving record and a rising reputation .The Australians paid particular attention to him. He has met the challenge , scoring heavily, batting superbly and showing that the bulldog can still bark.

More Columns

Mail Peter Roebuck