Vaughan ruled out of Aussie clash

Michael Vaughan: failed last-minute fitness test © Getty Images Enlarge

Michael Vaughan has been ruled out of England's latest match in the NatWest Series, against Australia at Chester-le-Street, after failing a late fitness test on his injured groin. Vaughan was forced to leave the field in the second half of Bangladesh's innings on Tuesday after suffering a tweak, and Ian Bell has been drafted into the squad as cover.

Vaughan's contribution to that particular match, however, had been minimal, and it was Paul Collingwood who took centre stage, following his unbeaten innings of 112 and his record-breaking figures of 6 for 31. "It was just one of those days when everything went right," Collingwood told reporters. "Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss put on a great partnership [141] and that set the tone."

"I've just been trying to get as high up the order as I can," he added. "I was originally brought in as a finisher and now I'm at No. 4. And in the past, I haven't had the opportunity to do a lot of bowling. But I've bowled 100 overs in the four-day stuff for Durham this season."

Collingwood's next engagement is on home territory, where England will hope to keep their run of victories going, and keep Australia pinned to the foot of the NatWest Series table. "Beating Australia last year in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy was a massive hurdle to get over," added Collingwood who hit the winning runs at Edgbaston to end a run of 14-straight one-day defeats for England against their oldest foes. "We don't fear them but they are still a very good side."

Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh's hero in Cardiff with a run-a-ball hundred, starred again with an extraordinary 52-ball 94 featuring three sixes and 11 fours. "Every shot he took on, he middled," said an admiring Collingwood. "It was Tendulkar-like."

Meanwhile Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh's coach, said that Ashraful deserved a hundred but tried to put this defeat into context. "The curve doesn't go in a straight line but I was disappointed with the way we played in the first 10 overs. We bowled far too short.

"But we've got three games to go and we are looking forward all the time." A modest Ashraful, who as a 16-year-old became the youngest man ever to make a Test century, against Sri Lanka, in 2001, added: "When I got a short ball I just tried to play my natural game."