Vaughan - I considered quitting

It's hard to imagine it now that he and his team are basking in the afterglow of Ashes triumph, but Michael Vaughan has admitted that at one point he considered quitting the England captaincy. His moment of doubt came during the debate over whether England should tour Zimbabwe in 2004.

The Test series was eventually scrapped, but England went ahead with the four one-dayers, all of which they won easily. "This was the first time I had felt inclined to give up my position," admitted Vaughan in the Daily Mail. "I spoke to David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, and told him that I didn't need the pressure and that I could quite easily just go back to trying to get into the team as a batsman only. I wondered if it was all worthwhile."

Vaughan also said that he was co-erced into touring Zimbabwe and that, given the choice, he would not have gone. His team-mate Steve Harmison ruled himself out of the tour, but Vaughan felt that he was obliged, as captain, to go. "I wasn't actually blackmailed into going but I was pressured. The rest would have been welcome, especially after playing just about every game over the last four years, and I was disappointed that, despite our success, eventually our views counted for little."

Nevertheless, this did not stop him threatening to withdraw his England side from Zimbabwe once they had got there if they were made to meet Robert Mugabe. At the time, Vaughan said: "The team will not be put in a position to shake any government member's hand."