Michael Vaughan, the most successful captain for the England Cricket Team in Tests, announced his retirement, though not entirely unexpectedly. After being left out of the England Test squad for the upcoming Ashes and with fitness and consistency never being on his side over a prolonged period, Vaughan apparently was left with no choice.
Vaughan's most significant contribution to cricket were his technically correct, effortless and sublime cover drives, and of course, the Ashes victory in 2005. He was single-handedly responsible for reviving interest in Test Cricket, crafting a neat and planned series victory over the till-then invincible Aussies. (Which Indian cricket fan does not like to see the Aussies going down!)
When he was in form, he was tough to get out and had a supremely good year in 2002 when he amassed nearly 1500 Test runs. He is one of the best cricket captains in the modern game, having seen heavyweights like Flintoff and Pietersen blossom under his regime. Many players in the current England team owe their place to him.
Vaughan's case just another to show how brutally injuries can mar a cricketer's career. Leave out the knee injuries and the situation could have been different for Vaughan now. We have bid farewell to a fair number of cricket greats in the last18 months or so. Here's bidding an honorable farewell to yet another!
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