2009 proved to be a disappointingly low-key end to what has been a high profile career. Vaughan may not have always scored the amount of runs he should for his county, but he’s kept the name of Yorkshire prominent in the world of cricket in a way no amount of centuries in the championship could ever manage.

There were signs on the pre-season tour of the UAE that a winter away from cricket may have mentally cleared the decks ready for Michael to reclaim his place in the England side. Alas the runs scored against Surrey and Middlesex in the Pro-Arch proved to be a false dawn, as the season proper brought the familiar sight of the ex-England captain playing beautiful cameos but not the substantial innings required by both club and country.

When it came, the decision to call it a day was undoubtedly the right one; the concerns expressed over blocking younger talent fully justified.

It’s to be hoped that somebody with Vaughan’s understanding for the game will not now be lost to it. But you can’t escape the feeling that after years under the time consuming constraints of being England captain, Vaughan is now a man looking to fully explore the many possibilities open too him. It would be churlish not to wish him the best in those ventures, whilst perhaps also hoping that at some time in the future, life’s circle will bring him back to Headingly and a position of responsibility where he can shape the future of a club that once shaped his own.

Championship – 5 matches, 147 runs @ 21.00

Friends Provident – 6 matches, 280 runs @ 46.66

Twenty/20 Cup – 9 matches, 188 runs @ 23.50

(Vaughan photo: by kind permission, Dave Morton)