Bob

Please, for the love of God, let’s have no more of the Vaughan saga. The latest is that he may have to give up the captaincy because there’s just too much ad hoc captaining going on, first by Flintoff and then by Strauss. In any case, this debate over whether he will ever play cricket again is beginning to get on my nerves. Even if he does play after about two years or so, for instance, what good will he do? Why doesn’t he simply retire and end the agony?

Mike

I think what all this will lead to is a disastrous Ashes tour, because there’s just too much pressure to deliver on England, and it just doesn’t look the same team that won last summer. I’m sure the series against Pakistan will prove me right.

County

Mike, only a very diehard England supporter would imagine that England would retain the Ashes.

peep

It’s ok, Mike. England are happiest only when they can whine about something. And winning the Ashes 2006 would rob them of their greatest pleasure!

Rob

Apparently, the simplest operation for Vaughan now is another cleanout of his knee, which could make him fit for the Ashes tour, but he would probably collapse midway. The more complex solution is apparently to repair a hole on his kneecap, from which he may take even 10 months to recover. So the Ashes would go kaput, but he could still be fit for the World Cup. However, he’s such a c**p ODI batsman that that would be no good either. So yes, Bob, I think he might as well retire.