A test average of 41.44 does not make Michael Vaughan a great batsman and a record of 26 wins from 51 matches leaves him a fair way behind Ricky Ponting when it comes to rating captains in purely statistical terms.

But, for three or four years, he was precisely what England needed and, as he prepares to announce his retirement, now is the time to acknowledge he deserves a prominent place in their hall of fame.

Vaughan, who is still centrally contracted, was meeting ECB managing director Hugh Morris at Lord's today but a media conference has already been scheduled for tomorrow, when the 34-year-old will confirm he is quitting the game after failing to force his way into the Ashes frame.

Times have been tough for Vaughan since the glory, glory days of 2005 when he guided his country to an almost unbelievably dramatic series triumph over Australia.

Vaughan had scarcely scored a run against South Africa when he made his tearful resignation speech last August. And the team he led to a series defeat clearly needed a new man in charge.

Yet, despite mounting evidence that Vaughan - still handicapped by a knee injury - would never again be the free flowing strokemaker of old, English cricket clung to the hope he could mount one final campaign, albeit from the ranks, against the Aussies.

It wasn't to be - both an embarrassing lack of runs for Yorkshire and Ravi Bopara's tons against West Indies and the Riverside eventually convinced everyone it was time to move on.

So Michael Vaughan is an ex-England cricketer. But, with another Ashes approaching, it is well worth recalling just how good he was.

In 12 Test matches, between May 2002 and January 2003, the elegant right-hander with a cover drive to drool over took seven centuries off Sri Lanka, India and Australia and was named the world's No 1 Test batsman.

Vaughan's batting never again scaled those heights. But he was about to perform an even greater service for England by taking over the captaincy at a time when everyone - not least departing skipper Nasser Hussain - knew that a change of direction was necessary.

Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher had lifted England from the bottom of the pile in 1999 to mid-table respectability by 2003.

Now, though, players who had been led by the nose needed setting free a little - given a bit more licence to express themselves.

Vaughan could be a tough disciplinarian when necessary, and no one with any sense took liberties, but his generally lighter touch helped to set the team on a golden run of success that culminated in the reclamation of the Ashes.

He supplied a relatively modest four centuries during that red-hot streak and made just one more - 166 at Old Trafford - as Australia were beaten. But his contribution as captain should never be under-estimated.

"Michael had character and mental strength in bucket loads," says Ashley Giles, the former left-arm spinner turned England selector.

"As captain, he treated everyone as an individual, believed that the guys would play their best cricket by expressing themselves and not having that fear of failure.

"He gave us all confidence. Everyone who came into the side felt comfortable, almost loved, in the dressing room."

Fletcher should have called it a day after the 2005 Ashes series. And, as it transpired, Vaughan's best days had been and gone as well.

In Vaughan's case, never-ending problems with his knee turned him into a hobbling passenger on tours of Pakistan and India but he seemed desperate to fight back. Too desperate at times.

Although not fit enough to play a part in the Ashes tour of 2006/7, Vaughan still went to Australia during the Test series with his very presence in Brisbane and Perth seeming to cast a shadow over substitute skipper Andrew Flintoff.

And, on pure form grounds, there was no way he should have been part of the abysmal World Cup campaign that followed.

A blemish or two, yes. But, just like Fletcher, Vaughan walks away heavily in credit.