Vaughan must be on best behaviour

Jonathan Agnew
29 Jul 2008

England face a critical fortnight in which the real impact of the debacle of Headingley can be properly weighed up. And let's not forget that their heavy defeat in the Second Test was only part of the problem.

Now, back-to-back Tests at Edgbaston and The Oval will determine the destiny of this series and could have a say in the futures of a number of players, not least captain Michael Vaughan.

The credibility of the selectors is also very much on the line.

I am still reeling at the decision to pick Darren Pattinson at Headingley. Nothing personal against the fellow but his inclusion was always going to have a devastating effect on the morale of the England camp, with ramifications felt all round the county circuit.

I am truly staggered the selectors did not anticipate it. Even more so that Geoff Miller still says that Pattinson remains in their plans.

Pattinson might have a British passport having been born in Grimsby, but in sporting terms he is not English. And that is where this argument ends.

Yes, thanks to his birthright he is able to qualify to play county cricket, which, to be fair, was all he anticipated doing when he poled up at Nottinghamshire this summer. But he is an Aussie and, as the paceman admitted to me on the morning of the Test, has never given a passing thought to representing England.

Unlike the other 'foreign' cricketers who have been chosen for England over the years, Pattinson served no qualification period: he was picked from absolute obscurity, and with no track record of any note, after less than three months of county cricket.

Now we bring Paul Collingwood into the equation; a dyed-in-the-wool, passionate Englishman who is captain of the one-day team. There was a perfectly good argument for dropping him at Headingley due to poor form but to understand the damage that was done last week, you have to ignore selectorial good sense for a moment and enter the insular world of a dressing room.

There, all that mattered was that Colly - one of their own - had been dropped for a 30-year-old Australian who no one knew, and who had played 10 first-class matches in his life.

The muttering and chuntering in the corners of that room would have dominated all the conversation during the match, shattering morale and seriously distracting the players' focus.

One obvious giveaway was Vaughan's reaction at the end of the match when he spoke of "confused selection".

Already he was looking to offload any responsibility for the damage his team had suffered, although he had been central to the selection process and would have agreed to the final XI that took the field - including Pattinson. But it was not Pattinson's fault England lost by 10 wickets. Their batting was unacceptable, and this is where Vaughan is now starting to feel the heat. In 29 innings, he has scored only two hundreds and five fifties. His long run of poor form is now starting to look permanent.

By falling out with the selectors, he has also weakened his power base and he will have to be on his very best behaviour, as well as his best form, if his position is to escape serious scrutiny.

He is fortunate in that there are no obvious rivals queuing up for his job, with Andrew Strauss finding his way back and Collingwood also out of form. Kevin Pietersen remains the only possible candidate, if a somewhat leftfield call at present.

But captains are not invincible and if England do lose this series heavily and Vaughan fails with the bat as well, pressure will mount quickly with the Ashes just around the corner.

Tim Ambrose, the wicketkeeper, is also fighting for his place. I do not think he is good enough to bat at No6.

He simply does not have the presence at the crease and he is also severely limited to back-foot shots, making him easy to bowl at and vulnerable to the moving ball.

As yet, his poor batting form has not seriously affected his wicketkeeping but he is starting to discover the pressure that every one of his predecessors has felt since Alec Stewart's retirement five years ago.

And that brings us to Steve Harmison. Every report I have seen suggests he is bowling at a decent pace and looking more dangerous than he has in an England sweater for some time.

Steve always has a lot to say and never fails to talk a good game. But we have heard it all before.

Now, more than ever in his career, he needs to put in a performance that lays to rest any doubts about his commitment and demands his inclusion against Australia next summer.