MICHAEL Vaughan’s impending retirement might not seem much of a blow to Yorkshire in view of his lack of runs this summer. But in terms of the county’s development over the next few years it is a massive setback.
Had Vaughan been prepared to devote himself to the county once he accepted that his Test career was over, he might have provided Yorkshire with the two or three years of outstanding leadership they plainly need.
Anthony McGrath is not the answer, excellent cricketer though he is, and with a doubt over Jacques Rudolph’s availability next season because of the change of rules surrounding Kolpak signings, Yorkshire will be praying that Joe Sayers can follow in the footsteps of Will Smith at Durham.
Both emerged from a lean spell at roughly the same stage of their careers, with Sayers overcoming a nightmare last year, when he averaged 8.44 in six matches, to prosper in first-class cricket this season.
A year younger than Smith, Leedsborn Sayers will be 26 in November, and as an Oxford graduate he has shown the mental strength and intelligence to be earmarked as a future leader. He will not be another Vaughan, but who will?
The sad part about the retirement of the man who led England to more Test victories than any other captain is that it will be tinged with frustration, and perhaps a hint of bitterness about his omission from the Ashes squad.
The other sadness is that he remained at his remarkable peak for only a short period. He reached it in Australia in 2002-03, when he scored 633 runs in five Tests.
That success probably laid the platform for his leadership in the triumphant 2005 series, even if he wasn’t as productive with the bat.
Since then his troublesome knee has been a constant problem, and no doubt it has played a part in his decision to retire at 34.
He will also have had to come to terms with his inability to perform on the lesser stage.
In his final innings for Yorkshire he should have guided them to Twenty20 victory at Leicester last Friday following the century opening stand between Rudolph and Andrew Gale. But he was no more capable of doing it than he was of hauling Yorkshire out of the mire at Riverside two days earlier.
Some might question his allegiance to Yorkshire, bearing in mind that, although raised in Sheffield, he was born in Salford. He never quite exhibited the Barnsleybred, chest-out defiance of Darren Gough, who was proud to come back and captain the county at the age of 36.
The greatest factor in his retirement, however, is likely to prove to be an offer to join Sky’s commentary team for the Ashes series.
No matter how lucrative, it won’t hold a candle for him in terms of pure joy and satisfaction to leading the team to the 2005 triumph. Along with the memory of his majestic cover driving, he will leave a lasting legacy.
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