Battered Vaughan vows to battle on

A grim-looking Michael Vaughan faces the press after being booed by England supporters © Getty Images Enlarge

Despite being booed by supporters after England's wretched nine-wicket defeat by South Africa, Michael Vaughan was adamant that he was not about to stand down as captain.

Clearly affected by the hostile reception and the manner of the loss, Vaughan admitted that both he and Duncan Fletcher were under pressure. "I'm an honest guy who says my position is hugely in doubt due to my batting," he said. "But I still believe I'm a very good captain. I'm not retiring.

"It's a horrible feeling to have walked off the field and get booed by a lot of England supporters, but rightfully so from the performance we put in," he said. "I've been a supporter in a stadium, watched football teams that haven't produced, and done exactly the same. I fully understand why they have given us that kind of reception."

With 130 runs from nine World Cup innings - and without a hundred in 85 ODIs either -Vaughan could hardly say he was anything other than disappointed by the outcome. "It's a massive tournament, in which I expected us to turn up and produce something. I firmly believe that we have players with the talent and the attitude to do that on the big stage. We haven't done that so we have to accept all the criticism that comes our way. It's a very sad day for English cricket."

And as for his own position? "There will be many conversations in the days ahead," he said. "There needs to be a lot of honesty after a very, very disappointing six months. As players we have to look at why we have performed to a standard that is unacceptable through the winter. The most important thing is to get a strategy to get English cricket back on track."