A tale of two dream runs

Michael Vaughan's retirement from all cricket is a reflection of sport's inherent cruelty. England's most successful Test captain, who led his team to victory in the Ashes after 18 years and oversaw a phase of prosperity rare for recent England teams, Vaughan endured a tearful resignation from captaincy following a poor run, was dropped, and quit the game after failing to win a spot with Yorkshire. Nevertheless, Vaughan triggered a resurgence in English cricket and his batting has been almost peerless for its grace and consistency.

In terms of just numbers, Vaughan had a relatively quiet start in Tests but soon earned a reputation for contributing in crunch games. He scored his first half-century in that infamous match against South Africa at Centurion in January 2000, and contributed a valuable 41 in the fourth innings in his team's two-wicket win over West Indies at Lord's the same year.

Vaughan's Test career can be analysed in three phases. In his first 19 Tests, Vaughan averaged 36.50 with two centuries. His 20th Test, against India in England's 170-run win at Lord's in the summer of 2002, brought him into the limelight - he finished the year as the highest run-scorer - and sowed the seeds of his success in Australia later in the year. Vaughan averaged 102.50 in the series against India, and in his 41 Tests since the start of that series, a period spanning three years, he remained England's highest run-getter, and the fifth-highest overall.

However, his last 22 Tests, despite the euphoria of an emotional century against West Indies at Headingley in 2007, which marked his return to international cricket after an injury that ruled him out for more than a year, were his least successful, and eventually proved his undoing. Scores of 16, 2, 0, 21, 0 and 17 in his last six innings, coupled with a series defeat to South Africa at Edgbaston in July 2008, his last as captain and for England, culminated in a break from the international circuit.

Vaughan scored the most when he opened, but adapted well to his role at No.3. As opener, he formed one of the world's most successful opening combinations with Marcus Trescothick. The pair averaged 48.76 and is currently in fifth place in the list of top opening combinations since 1999 in terms of runs scored, and fifth for England overall. He favoured playing at home, scoring 13 of his 18 centuries in England, and averaging 46.07 - a difference of almost ten compared to his average overseas. (Click here for his career summary.)

Despite the blip in figures outside of England, Vaughan's career overseas has included some notable performances that have displayed his ability to challenge the best in the world, in both pace and spin. His 183 against Australia in Sydney laid the foundation for England's solitary Test win in the 2002-03 Ashes, but probably his best outing with the bat came against Sri Lanka in Kandy in December 2003, when he scored 52 and 105 to help England fight out a draw on the final day. His unbeaten 82 and 54 in Johannesburg in 2005 proved crucial in England's first series win in South Africa for almost 40 years -in fact, Vaughan, before the lay-off due to injury towards the end of 2005, was England's second-highest run-getter both home and overseas since he made his debut.

However, Vaughan was not as prolific as some of his competitors while he was enjoying the most fruitful phase of his career. He was one of the top run-getters in the period, but was at No.7 in the ranking list of batsmen based on averages.

Vaughan took particular liking to India, against whom he averaged 72.57 - the second-highest among England batsmen who've scored 1000 runs or more against India - in nine Tests with four centuries. Three of them came in that one series in 2002, but the final one was perhaps the best among them, as he battled to 124 in a losing cause after England had conceded a massive first-innings lead at Trent Bridge in 2007. The defeat eventually resulted in Vaughan's first series defeat at home as captain, and spiralled a run that ultimately led to his resignation. (Click here for Vaughan's series summary as captain.)

Vaughan's greatest contribution to England, though, was his captaincy. England have won more games under his leadership than any other captain, and he is one of only 13 captains to have led their team to more than 20 wins in the longest version. Thrust into the role after Nasser Hussain's resignation during the home series against South Africa in 2003, Vaughan began poorly with an innings defeat at Lord's, but recovered well with victory at Trent Bridge and a series-levelling win at The Oval.

But the golden phase kicked off with series wins against West Indies both home and away, whitewashes against New Zealand and Bangladesh, a historic 2-1 win in South Africa and the ultimate prize, the Ashes in the summer of 2005. Vaughan had led England to six consecutive series wins in over a year including seven successive Test wins, which, added to a win against New Zealand under Trescothick, turned out to be England's best run of victories in Tests.

However, his second phase as captain was disappointing. England faltered in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and suffered their first series defeat at the hands of India at home since 1986. An unprecedented home loss to South Africa was decisive in Vaughan's exit, and though his batting average in the second part of his tenure was only slightly lower than the first, a torrid final series where he managed just 40 in five innings compounded his woes. (Click here for Vaughan's batting record as captain.)