Fletcher: Skipper must be Vaughan again

England have been so pleased just to see Vaughan back playing again after a year out with knee problems that his lack of runs have not really been highlighted. But after scoring only 78 runs in four innings to date in the tournament, including single-figure efforts in his last two matches against Kenya and Ireland, it is becoming a crisis for Vaughan and England.

Fletcher, though, believes Vaughan can make an impact despite his recent form, stressing: "He was batting very well at the beginning of this tournament. He has been getting 30s and 40s but he has to do more than that."

He added: "Over the last few days he's lost a bit of form, but I'm sure it will come back pretty soon. We'll work on certain areas but sometimes it can be a mental thing rather than something technical, and we'll discuss it."

Vaughan's failure to make a score of note both in this tournament and his one-day international career - he is yet to score a century in 81 appearances - highlights a major flaw in England's back-to-basics policy.

England believe their best chance of success during the World Cup is to lay a strong foundation for big-hitters like Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and even Paul Collingwood to take advantage later in the innings.

Ed Joyce scored half-centuries against Canada and Kenya, but neither Vaughan nor Ian Bell have played a significant innings, which is undermining England's whole strategy for the tournament.

"The most crucial aspect of it is for the top order to build some partnerships," explained Fletcher. "They are very aware of what they've got to do.

"They're top cricketers, they've been around a bit now. They've played Test cricket and they're experienced and they must realise they've got to build partnerships because once they do that we can then look to accelerate."