Vaughan out of first Test

Michael Vaughan has failed to recover sufficiently from a knee injury, and will take no part in the first Test against Pakistan at Multan. Marcus Trescothick will take over as captain, the second time he has led England in Tests.

The chances of Vaughan making the Test looked slim from the moment he fell down with the injury on the second day of England's warm-up match against Pakistan A in Lahore. Although the injury is not considered serious enough to end his tour at the moment, the loss of Vaughan, even for one Test, is a major blow to England.

But Trescothick is confident England can overcome the loss: "Michael has a superb record as captain and to lose him for the first Test is a major blow. But we can take strength from the fact that we have played some outstanding cricket over the past 18 months and we are all up for the challenge on Saturday.

"For me personally, it is always a great honour to lead your country. I have fond memories of doing the job before against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004 and I am happy to take on the responsibility again."

Vaughan has suffered from knee problems for the last few years and was forced to pull out of the Lord's Test against New Zealand in 2004. Trescothick took over, Andrew Strauss made his debut, and England won by seven wickets.

Adding to England's problems is the form of their batsmen. Ian Bell, Vaughan's likely replacement in the order, has suffered a poor start to the tour. Alastair Cook is making his way to Pakistan but doesn't arrive until later today.