Vaughan rides his luck

Don't think I can remember a similarly shoddy catching performance by the Australians in recent memory, and the man on the receiving end of most the generosity on offer, Michael Vaughan, made the most of it. Not very often does one get reprieves off consecutive deliveries, so Vaughan would have been persuaded enough to think it was his day. He certainly batted like it, and best of all, did not allow the lapses to affect his mood. The England captain has a reputation of being a sight to behold when in full flow, and for the first time this summer his batting matched the reputation, in quality and quantity. Like some of his contemporaries, Vaughan does not as much accumulate runs as he piles them on, with an array of boundary fetching shots at his disposal. There's the cover drive on the up, there's the meaty pull off anything remotely short and then there are the sweetly timed flicks anywhere between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket. And when the combination of a friendly pitch, slippery palms and non-lethal bowling presents itself, Vaughan is not the kind to miss out. Ironic then, that he holed out off a gentle full toss from the part timer, Katich. - NK