WHILE the messiness of Michael Vaughan’s retirement was hardly in keeping with the style and elegance of his batting, the timing of his departure could hardly have been more apt.

Vaughan is the personification of a glorious Ashes past, but it is time to close the book on that particular chapter in the history of English cricket.

For far too long now, the events of 2005 have hung like an albatross around the neck of each and every member of the Test side.

Now, with Vaughan’s retirement having removed another symbolic reminder of Australia’s last Ashes tour of this country, it is time for his successors in the England team to produce a new set of cricketing memories. The king is dead, long live a new set of kings.

Those kings are likely to include four of the players that played in the final Test at The Oval four years ago – Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood – but England cannot simply hope to reprise the methods and tactics they adopted so successfully back then.

Much has changed – on both sides of the equation – and this summer’s series is likely to be considerably different to the 2005 renewal.

Most notably, England are likely to chop and change personnel much more readily than they did four years ago.

Then, the hosts were unchanged for the first four Tests, with Collingwood coming in for the final game to replace the injured Simon Jones. This time around, the bowlers in particular are likely to be shuffled to suit specific pitch conditions.

Next week, at Sophia Gardens, it would not be a surprise to see England starting with two spinners.

Eight days later, and the pace and bounce that has been evident in most Lord’s pitches this summer could see the selectors hand a recall to Steve Harmison. A fortnight later at Edgbaston, and if the weather conditions are right, the swing of Ryan Sidebottom could make a return to the England team.

There will be no surprise picks in the manner of a Darren Pattinson, but in the absence of a settled bowling line-up, expect a horses-forcourses approach.

The batting line-up will be much less of a moveable feast, with Ravi Bopara likely to enjoy an extended run at number three and Andrew Flintoff sure to come in at six for as long as his suspect knee cartilage holds up. Flintoff was the all-conquering hero of the 2005 campaign, but with just a handful of practice games for Lancashire under his belt after he was ruled out of the World Twenty20, it would be wrong to expect the all-rounder to produce a reprise of his former heroics.

Instead, England are going to have to share the honours around, and while Pietersen will start the series as the hosts’ likeliest match winner with the bat, others will have to produce innings of substance at key times too.

Much will depend on whether Strauss and Alastair Cook are able to fashion a string of strong starts – if only to prevent Bopara’s flaky temperament from being exposed in a position of pressure – and both Collingwood and wicket-keeper Matt Prior will have to provide middleorder support to Pietersen, who is sure to be targeted as Australia’s prize wicket from the off.

When Pietersen failed in the World Twenty20, England’s innings was as good as up.

If the hosts are to be successful in a longer format this summer, they cannot afford to be as reliant on one batsman, even if the batsman in question is as talented as their South Africa-born star.

VAUGHAN insists his retirement is for good, but the summer’s most emotional sporting story could revolve around a man who has reversed his decision to call it a day.

Lance Armstrong will begin this year’s Tour de France looking to secure a record-breaking eighth victory in the race, four years after he announced his retirement from professional cycling.

Armstrong divides opinion like few other sportsmen, with some commentators questioning his probity after a series of, so far unproven, allegations about drug taking that were aired in L’Equipe in 2005.

Others regard the American as a hero following his battle against testicular cancer and his subsequent campaigning to raise awareness about the disease.

Either way, it is hard to argue against the weight of Armstrong’s achievements, or the size of his profile in a sport robbed of both its personalities and soul in recent years. The 37-yearold will start the Tour as a rank outsider. Anyone with an interest in cycling’s survival should hope he is a central figure when the peloton rolls down the Champs-Elysees on July 26.