Stats Analysis

A tale of two dream runs

Statistical analysis of Michael Vaughan's Test career

Siddhartha Talya
Siddhartha Talya
30-Jun-2009
Michael Vaughan tasted less success as a batsman when he led England, but will probably be remembered more for his role as captain  •  Getty Images

Michael Vaughan tasted less success as a batsman when he led England, but will probably be remembered more for his role as captain  •  Getty Images

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.
Michael Vaughan's career in three phases
  Innings Runs Average 100/50
First 19 Tests 32 1095 36.50 2/4
Next 41 Tests 75 3304 47.88 13/8
Final 22 Tests 40 1320 33.84 3/6
Career (82 Tests) 147 5719 41.44 18/18
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.
Performance of batsmen during Vaughan's best run (qualification = 3000 runs)
Batsman Innings Runs Average 100/50
Jacques Kallis 55 3366 74.80 13/15
Ricky Ponting 60 3720 71.53 13/12
Brian Lara 49 3246 69.06 12/9
Graeme Smith 63 3327 57.36 11/11
Matthew Hayden 71 3514 54.06 12/11
Justin Langer 71 3292 48.41 9/12
Michael Vaughan 75 3304 47.88 13/8
Marcus Trescothick 74 3201 47.77 9/14
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.
Most successful captains for each country (In terms of wins)
Captain Tests Won Lost W-L Ratio
Steve Waugh (Australia) 57 41 9 4.55
Clive Lloyd (West Indies) 74 36 12 3
Graeme Smith (South Africa) 69 33 21 1.57
Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) 80 28 27 1.03
Michael Vaughan (England) 51 26 11 2.36
Sourav Ganguly (India) 49 21 13 1.61
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) 38 18 12 1.50
Imran Khan (Pakistan) 48 14 8 1.75
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.
Vaughan's captaincy in two phases
Span Matches Won Lost Drawn W-L ratio
31 July 2003 - 21 July 2005 (First Test as captain to Ashes) 27 17 5 5 3.40
Post Ashes 24 9 6 3 1.50
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.)
Vaughan's batting performance as captain
Span Matches Innings Runs Average 100/50
Pre Ashes 27 50 1645 36.55 5/7
Post Ashes 24 44 1525 35.46 4/6
Overall as captain 51 94 3170 36.02 9/13

Siddhartha Talya is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo