Vaughan goes

You don't have to read between the lines this morning to realise that Michael Vaughan will make a formal announcement about his retirement this week.

For several weeks - as I told you at the time - he has had an offer to join the Sky commentary team for the Ashes. He has realised that there is no place for him in the England side, that Ravi Bopara is quite capable of taking his No.3 spot and deserves an extended trial and that there are young lads in the Yorkshire side who need time to develop. So Vaughan has bowed to the inevitable.

As he showed when he stood down from the captaincy, he is not one to wait around for a Cromwellian "In the name of God go." Vaughan still has the timing even if his eyesight or his coordination are letting him down.

He was never the greatest county player and in recent years his England batting performances have been scratchy but there is no question about the merit of his captaincy.

Like two other great Yorkshire captains Len Hutton and Ray Illingworth he understood all the ways of the game and kept his head when those around were in danger of losing the plot. He won back the Ashes, he won more Tests than any other England captain and only Mike Atherton lead in more Tests.

Atherton has said Vaughan ranks with the best - add Mike Brearley and Douglas Jardine to the two Yorkshiremen - and his most vocal supporters - include me in that - have no doubt that he is outstandingly the best.

So farewell, Michael. No doubt you will have a quiet word behind the scenes, perhaps one day you will leave the commentary box to be either coach or chairman of selectors. I doubt if you will ever leave cricket and in many ways I am glad you will not have to eke out a precarious life on the county scene until retirement is a matter of necessity rather than choice.