Shane on Vaughan

When England announced their pre-Ashes squad of 16, it came with two surprise exclusions - Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison.

The former English skipper who has won the Ashes previously with England in 2005 was left out citing performance lacks. Selector Geoff Miller believes that for him to make a return to the international stage he need to score a huge pile of runs overlooking his 159 runs at 19.88 for Yorkshire this season. Miller said, "Michael Vaughan will, of course, be disappointed not to have been included. But I met with Michael recently and he understands that he needs to make runs consistently in county cricket if he is to force his way back into the squad.”

He added, "The pre-Ashes camp is designed to give Andy Flower and the rest of the management team an opportunity to meet with the players ahead of their series and begin their preparations in earnest. We will continue to consider players outside the 16 chosen for the camp and will closely monitor performances in domestic cricket as the international season progresses. The door has not been closed on any player at this stage."

The Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, who has now retired from international cricket, said that Vaughan’s exclusion could cost England a great deal of quality considering the his many years of experience as a former Ashes-winning captain. Warne wrote in his column for the Times, "England may have made a mistake by leaving Michael Vaughan out of what looks to be their big Ashes squad. Admittedly, I haven't seen him for a while, but I do know that he's a big-match player who can bring that touch of class. He deals with the short ball really well and looks to attack. Tactically, he could have helped [Andrew] Strauss."

The Ashes is scheduled to begin at Cardiff on July 8, and Warne is confident that the Australians are more than capable of retaining the urn. He said, "Yes, of course you need runs on the board, but if Australia can take some cheap wickets with the new ball, they can definitely roll over England, even with Freddie Flintoff to come back after missing the West Indies series.”

“Australia will be looking to get them about 3 for 50 because, looking at their line-up, England could then find themselves all out for 100. I think they rely on Andrew Strauss and especially Kevin Pietersen, so a big task for Australia is to identify the guys most likely to put those two under pressure. I really hope that Nathan Hauritz is going to play, and Mitchell Johnson is a certainty."

Although there is one player according to Warne the Australian’s need to worry about - Michael Hussey. With Hussey displaying poor form of 322 runs at 23.00 in the last 8 Tests and his exhaustion from Australia's busy international schedule has forced him to reconsider his international future.

Warne added, "Hussey needs a score over the next fortnight to cement his place. The onus is on the others to push him out, yes, but if [Shane] Watson and [Marcus] North get runs it will be an interesting decision. I don't think Hussey's place should be guaranteed. Watson would be good enough for No 3, if it came to it."