Vaughan, Michael Paul (1974- )

English cricket player who in 2005 captained England to their first Ashes triumph over Australia in 16 years. Known for his stylish and determined batting approach, he made his first Test appearance for England on the 1999 tour of South Africa. In 2002 he scored 1,481 Test runs, which at the time was the second most runs scored in a calendar year in Test history. This run of form saw him rise to become the world's top-ranked batsman. In 2003, he became England's captain of both the One-day and Test sides. In 2004 he led England to an unbeaten Test run of 11 wins and two draws, including a national record of eight consecutive victories. During this run, they won series both in the West Indies for the first time since 1968 and in South Africa for the first time since 1965.

Career highlights

Test cricket (1999- )

appearances: 64; runs: 4,595; average: 42.94; not out: 8; 100s: 15; best: 197 (v. India 2002); catches: 37

One-day internationals (2001- ) appearances: 74; runs: 1,730; average: 28.36; not out: 10; best: 90 not out (v. Zimbabwe 2004); catches: 20

All first-class cricket (1993- ) appearances: 227; batting: runs: 14,371; average: 38.22; not out: 25; 100s: 39; best: 197 (v. India 2002); bowling: overs: 1,535; wickets: 114; runs: 5,142; average: 45.10; catches: 107

Awards Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2003

Born in Lancashire, Vaughan moved to Sheffield, Yorkshire as a child and first played for his adopted county in 1993. In the 2002-03 Ashes series in Australia, Vaughan was named Man of the Series despite England losing the series 4-1. The Ashes win over Australia in 2005 was England's sixth consecutive Test series victory.