MICHAEL Vaughan looks set to be given the remainder of the season to impress the selectors enough to secure a place in England's Test squad for the pre-Christmas tour to India.
The 33-year-old Yorkshire batsman made it clear when he resigned as Test captain a month ago that he had set his sights on regaining his form in county cricket to warrant selection for the two-Test series in India.
He struggled on his return to ac
tion last week, scoring ten and nought against Kent at Scarborough, and was out cheaply again yesterday, however England are to give him more time to justify his selection by delaying the announcement about the Test squad until the end of the season.
England's selectors are next week due to announce the squads for the trip to Antigua to play in the multi-million dollar Stanford match and the seven-match one-day series in India after considering performances during the stunning 4-0 NatWest series triumph over South Africa.
Their deliberations for the Test squad, due to play two Tests in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, are on-going, however, to give Vaughan and other players hoping to force their way onto the plane an extended opportunity to impress. "It would seem fair to let everybody play," confirmed coach Peter Moores.
"We've got a few people out there playing for form so it makes sense to get the Stanford and one-day squad announced over the next week and then sit down and announce the Test squad towards the end of the county season."
That would give Vaughan a maximum of five further championship innings to impress, with yesterday's effort against Sussex at Scarborough being followed by fixtures against Somerset at Headingley starting on 17 September and the final match of the season against Sussex at Hove on 24 September.
He wasn't the only one out of sorts yesterday as Yorkshire's batsmen struggled on another rain-hit day of their LV Championship Division 1 match against Sussex.
Vaughan had made 19 out of 27 for one when he sparred at left-armer Jason Lewry and wicket-keeper Andy Hodd held the catch diving to his right.
Rain followed three overs later and when play resumed after a 26-over delay Yorkshire lost more wickets to close on 133 for seven in reply to Sussex's first-innings score of 265.
When asked about rumours which linked him with a move to at least one county, Vaughan said: "I am not sure where all this speculation is coming from and I am getting fed up of it. I am just looking forward to getting some form with Yorkshire."
Andrew Flintoff's successful return to the England side, meanwhile, has seen the Lancashire all-rounder rocket up the Reliance Mobile ICC one-day bowling rankings. He moves up five places from 13th to eighth.
The full article contains 485 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
