Taking the Michael

Whoever thought that Michael Vaughan would make anything other than an ignominious return to the England set up should be shot and told to make friends with a certain S. Hussain.

In making a seven ball duck for the England Academy in Perth, Vaughan was dismissed by one of the most average bowlers in the whole of Australia, Christian Moir.

No one expected the former England captain to make a monstrous score, but I think for the good of the test side, a patient 20 would have calmed the grey matter.

Disregarding the fact that Moir might have bowled the ball of his life, Vaughan's problem in Perth underlines much about the whole England tour to Australia.

England arrived in Australia and had a warm up that would struggle to raise the heart rate of my nan, and in the first test in Brisbane that lack of preparation manifested itself in a good old hiding by the ageing Aussie boys.

It is time that the England management, including Flintoff who must share a large portion of the blame for the Brisbane capitulation, had a serious re-think about future tours and our preparation for them.

I fear that it is too late to rescue this antipodean escapade, but cricketers with central contracts should be playing MUCH better than this.