England to name Vaughan replacement

Andrew Strauss has long been considered a future England captain, but has had a torrid time leading England in the one-day series against Sri Lanka © Getty Images

The news that Michael Vaughan will, almost certainly, be unavailable for the Ashes this winter has dented England's defence of the urn markedly. But before the Ashes, there is the small matter of facing Pakistan for a four-Test series and in the next week the selectors will choose Vaughan's replacement as captain.

Andrew Flintoff filled in for Vaughan during England's tour of India in the winter, as well as the Sri Lanka Test series. He too, however, was forced out of the current one-day series against Sri Lanka and will almost certainly miss the first Test against Pakistan. Andrew Strauss has had the unenviable job of leading a depleted and confidence-shot England side in the one-dayers, which Sri Lanka lead 4-0 with one to play.

"From my point of view I just want the best person for the team and we'll be deciding that before the first Test," Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, commented.

The other alternative could be Marcus Trescothick, who has filled in on occasions, but he has only just re-established himself back in the side after flying back from India with personal problems. On Wednesday, he flat-batted suggestions that he was the man in waiting but said he has "done it in the past - and if they offer it to me again then I'll think about it.

"We won't be making any quick decisions about who is going to captain the side in the winter because at the moment we don't know," explained David Graveney, chairman of selectors.

"Until the situation becomes a little clearer later in the summer we won't be looking at that issue. We need to get as much information as possible about the injured players before we consider things.

"I have been ringing him every day during this period and he has been battling really hard to recover from this injury, working long hours on his own in the gym so we all feel for him.

"He is a human being so he's bound to have got down during this period," he said. "He is desperate to play for England and has been hearing how England can't play without Michael Vaughan so you can just imagine how that has made him feel."