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England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been ruled out of the Ashes tour of Australia after a fourth operation on his right knee, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Thursday.

The Yorkshire batsman went under the knife on Monday still clinging to the hope that he could be fit in time to lead England on the tour, which begins in November.

But according to the BBC, the surgery revealed more extensive damage to the joint than expected — a development which will intensify fears that Vaughan’s career could effectively be over.

However, after an ECB spokesman confirmed that Vaughan would miss the Ashes tour, David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, told BBC Radio Five: “There is no suggestion that Michael Vaughan’s career is under threat.”

Vaughan has not played for England since being forced to return home early from the tour of India in March. He attempted a comeback for Yorkshire last month but the injury flared up again and he was advised that further surgery was necessary.

Vaughan last year led England to their first series victory over Australia in nearly two decades and had been desperate to lead the side’s bid to retain the Ashes.

The news that their 31-year-old captain is to miss the Ashes, which start in November, will come as a huge blow to England whose Test series triumph over Australia under Vaughan’s captaincy last year was their first since 1986-87.

It is estimated Vaughan’s rehabilitation will take between four to six months but, nevertheless, management hope he will captain England at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean starting in March.
Source:The News