Vaughan confirms number four role

England captain Michael Vaughan said he would bat at number four in the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday.

England captain Michael Vaughan said on Wednesday he would bat at number four in the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday.

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Vaughan, who has scored 10 of his 11 Test hundreds as an opener, missed England's seven-wicket first Test win against New Zealand because of a knee injury.

His place as an opener was taken by Middlesex captain Andrew Strauss, the left-hander marking his Test debut with 112 and 83.

Strauss's success allied to the retirement of regular number four Nasser Hussain, persuaded Vaughan the time was right to return to the place where he started his Test career.

"I'll be dropping down to number four," Vaughan told reporters at Headingley Wednesday.

"It's been in our thoughts for quite a while but we've finally found a real good replacement at the top of the order. Nasser's retirement opens up number four. It's the perfect time for me to slip down to number four and let Andrew Strauss continue opening the batting."

Vaughan rejected suggestions he was dropping down because he found it too difficult to combine opening and captaincy.

"No, not really. It's always been a thought my style of batting would be suited to number four.

"I've always felt if you can bat, you can bat anywhere in the top six once you've opened," added Vaughan ahead of his return to Test cricket on his home ground.

"It's a positive step. The only thing I'd have to get used to is the delay in waiting to bat."

England now have three left-handers at the top of their order - Strauss, Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher.

But Vaughan said this was not a problem.

"I know Ricky Ponting goes in at three but a lot of the top order of Australia is left-handed. The way Marcus and Andrew Strauss played at Lord's was very impressive.

"Number four, it's a key position. I feel I'm up to the task of filling in for Nasser up there.

"I know my stats aren't as good going down the order but that was in my early days as a Test player and I feel a lot more experienced now," Vaughan said.

He added that dropping Trescothick, down to number four, had not been considered.

"Tres averages 41 in Test match cricket. He's always opened during his England career," Vaughan said.

Turning to his team, Vaughan explained that the final selection problem would be whether to play a seventh batsman (Paul Collingwood) or go in with a specialist spinner (Ashley Giles).

"We'll have to judge it. But some of the Yorkie lads said it has spun this year so we'll have to judge it."

And he warned that England could not take anything for granted against a tough New Zealand side.

"At Leeds, the last couple of years (against India and South Africa) we haven't won the tough sessions."

Vaughan's wife Nichola, is expected to give birth during the second Test, delivers the couple's first child.

He said he would leave Headingley to be with his wife provided he wasn't batting at the time. "It's due around the time of the Test match. If I get a call, I'll be leaving the ground. If I'm out in the middle batting it's just unlucky.

"I'll be batting at four unless I get the call. We'll just make sure she drops it before 11am (1000GMT, the scheduled start of play).