With the World Cup only weeks away there is a renewed interest in England's ability to challenge for the trophy. Far from being a team there to make up the numbers England are going to the West Indies with a renewed vitality having beaten the Aussies in their own back yard.
Michael Vaughan seems to be at the forefront of this optimism, his tactical awareness has been well documented but he also takes the pressure of England's key match-winners. Vaughan is a relaxed individual, he exudes a confident but friendly attitude. Michael has been out of cricket for the past year with a knee injury and subsequent hamstring problems - typical of a player coming back from a long lay off. On a sunny day in Sheffield I talk to him about the last year and his views on the World Cup.
How important is it to go into the World Cup with momentum?
I think momentum is important but I also think that you have to get momentum early in the tournament, especially with the conditions in the Caribbean. The top 8 teams have all played good cricket over the last few months, at some point. We have to make sure that we get off the plane and immediately start playing the cricket we were in the CB Series. We have to get used to the conditions and take advantage of the practice facilities to give us the extra advantage. It’s a wide open tournament, it’s not been this close for a long time, anyone of those 8 teams can win if they have a bit of luck and get their big players performing.
The Caribbean is close to your heart, you own a property out there, how significant is this tournament for you personally?
It’s a great place; it’s one of the best tours. The cricket’s great, the people are great and you always have a good time. But the World Cup is a totally different situation than the 2004 tour for example. We’re looking to go out there and progress with the confidence we found at the end of the Australia tour. We changed our game plan out in Australia a little bit and it worked for us, so we will be looking to do the same out in the Caribbean.
It will be important to get off to a good start in the group stages which make New Zealand a big game.
Yes the New Zealand game is going to be a big one; but there are two potential banana skins in Kenya and Canada. Those games are a bit of an unknown but we have footage of them, we’ll do our research but you’re never to sure how they will play. New Zealand we know a lot more about and we know they are a great side.
Michael Holding said that he thought that the minnow should not be in the World Cup, do you have any views on his opinion?
You have to have them in there because we are trying to promote cricket around the world, we want it to reach as many people as possible. Take Sri Lanka for example, they started playing in the 1980s; they went on to win the World Cup in 1996. It’ll take a lesser nation to do what they did but you have to start from somewhere.
Who do you think will be the key players in this World Cup?
There are so many players its difficult to say. Every team has two or three match winners, maybe more. It could well be a tournament for a lot of the old staggers who maybe won’t play another World Cup. The likes of Pollock, McGrath and Jayasuria, the guys have played a lot and will look to go out on a high note. You have got the old brigade but there is a lot of young talent on show as well; Saranga, Bravo and Taylor of New Zealand all look like good players to me. It’s difficult to predict with so many good players involved. All the great names over the last 6 years are there.
Have changed your approach to the game while been out for a while with injury?
No, not at all. You get a frustration and you loose your sense of purpose because you are not playing. It’s been a really tough time and although playing international cricket can be draining it certainly beats being injured for 12 months.
Is posting a big total vital for a team looking to win the World Cup?
It depends on the surface you’re playing on, you have to post a total that is defendable on the wicket you have. To win the World Cup you have to be able to read the situation in front of you and make a decision at any given moment. As captain you have to read the pitch, the situation, where you want to be and where you are going.
Have you been happy with the young players that have come through over the last year?
The players reacted well to the whitewash in the test series. We took a lot of criticism and we lost a couple of One Day games but we bounced back really well. We are now focusing on the World Cup and using the type of game plan that brought us that success. We have to start fresh in the Caribbean under separate conditions. I’m not going to tell you the game plans that we have in mind but we’ve played much better since the change.
What are your views on Darren Gough returning to Yorkshire?
“I am delighted to hear that Darren may be returning to Yorkshire. He will be a great addition and he will bring back the identity of Yorkshire. He’s Yorkshire through and through and he’ll be great for the young guys.”
You’re long road back to full fitness must have been helped by Quorn.
I looked at players such as the Lara’s, the McGrath’s and the Pollock’s of this world and realised that these are the guys who’s careers have really lasted, they do everything right. They practice properly and they eat properly. When you get past thirty you have to look after your body if you want to carry on playing. It’s all about preparation, both on and off the field. You can’t force players to eat the right thing, you can advise them but in the end you have to leave it up to them, some are better than others!
When I am in training I eat a lot of it because it is such a good base of protein, throughout my rehab I used it a lot because it helped towards the rehab of my knee.
Tim May has suggested that there are too many One Day International games now.
I agree with that, England, Australia and India are the big three draws – in terms of spectator and media interest – in the world, the money spinners have to be monitored on how many little tournament are created over the next few years. You are seeing big names getting injured more and more now, the crowd want to see these players and the people behind these tournaments want to see these players as well. Guys are missing tournaments due to burnout or fatigue, the minute you hear the word ‘rest’ it suggests that you are playing too much.
Any big event has, and needs, a build up and an aftermath, the more congested the calendar becomes the less build up and aftermath there is. Rest is a big word in sport now, when you hear that word you know that the schedules are too packed.
Would you like to play for Yorkshire every now and again?
I’d love to play but there’s no chance of it anymore. The way the schedules are means that it makes it impossible. 2007 is a busy year, as they always are, we get back on April 30th and we play test match cricket on May 16th all the way through the summer and then we have the Twenty20 World Cup in September. After that we go to Sri Lanka and then come back to England for New Zealand, it’s a heavy schedule.
We spend a great deal of time away, I don’t want to criticise the system because it’s given a great life, but, if you want the best players playing then we have to make sure the schedules allow for rest and recuperation. It probably takes 2 years of your career but you play far more games than you didn’t play international cricket.
Could you explain the thinking behind Michael Vaughan Cricket?
It’s a week long camp for kids; I want to see kids taking cricket back to the schools and back it being played in the back yard and in the park. It’s something I am very passionate about, if we can get the 5 and 8 year olds playing and practicing ball skills and bring the fun brand of cricket to people.
