On Mike

Vaughan named England's one-day cricket captain

LONDON (AP) -- Michael Vaughan, the world's top-ranked batsman, was named Tuesday as England's one-day cricket captain.

The 28-year-old Yorkshire opener, who scored seven test centuries among his 1,481 runs last year, takes over from Nasser Hussain, who stepped down after this year's World Cup but remains as test captain.

Renowned for his powers of concentration rather than his quick scoring, Vaughan is set to lead England in a three-game one-day series against Pakistan in mid-June, followed by a triangular competition against Zimbabwe and South Africa June 26-July 12.

Vaughan takes over with England still struggling to break out of a spell of poor results.

England has lost 14 times in a row to world champion Australia in one-day games and was ousted from February's World Cup in southern Africa after the first round of group games.

Vaughan has to try and turn around that dismal form as well as maintain his own impressive performances with the bat.

"It's obviously going to be hard," he told reporters at a news conference at Lord's. "I firmly believe that my batting shouldn't be affected because, once you're out in the middle, it's the white ball coming at you and you just have to concentrate on that ball.

"I believe I will score the runs that I have done over the last year (only) as the captain."

Vaughan admitted he had little experience as captain and would need help from Hussain and retired former England captain Mike Atherton.

"It's pretty known that I'm an inexperienced captain," he said. "I've only done an England 'A' tour and captained England Under 19s so I will be looking for a bit of advice along the way.

"I'll try and have an honest dressing room where we all feel the freedom of speech to talk to one another."

Vaughan, who has played just 26 one-day internationals, said he would eventually like to succeed Hussain as test captain.

"I'm delighted to get this job. This will be a good test as to how I cope with it," he said. "Obviously Nasser's doing a great job with the test team but, if he does decide to call it a day in the future, obviously I would like my name to be mentioned.

"Everyone's ambition is to try and catch up with Australia and try and achieve the goals that they are achieving at the minute. We have to understand it's going to be a long process and it's not going to happen overnight," Vaughan said.

"But we have to get players in quickly and give them the experience so that, in four years time, we have a pretty experienced team going into a World Cup."

Vaughan was picked over Surrey captain Adam Hollioake, who led his team to a runaway victory in the County Championship last season, and Somerset and England opener Marcus Trescothick, whose form has slipped in the last few months.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman of selectors David Graveney said that Vaughan would not serve on the selection panel.

Former Australian test star Rodney Marsh, the ECB's national academy director, has been introduced as a new selector, joining Graveney, coach Duncan Fletcher and Geoff Miller.

Marsh's appointment is a measure of England's determination to emulate Australia's phenomenal success -- largely credited to Marsh who oversaw the development of Australia's best cricketers for much of the past decade.

England poached him from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Cricket Academy in 2001.

Since then Marsh, credited by leg-spinner Shane Warne for turning Australia's academy into the "envy of the world," has been director of the English Cricket Academy.

"This is a natural extension of my current role and I am looking forward to it," Marsh said Tuesday.

"There is plenty of talent within county cricket and I see my job as helping to spot and develop those players who have the potential to take the step up into international cricket.

"I will be coming into the job with a completely open mind and a real desire to try to help England progress as a side."

Marsh helped launch the international careers of almost 30 Australian players including Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, while at the Academy.

He would prove an unlikely savior for England, having once been a major thorn in its side.

Marsh notched 355 dismissals in 96 tests between 1970-84, forming a successful partnership with fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

Announcing the appointment, Graveney said: "Obviously Australia are top of the tree and we... want to emulate them.

"Rod was the logical step for us."

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.