Michael Vaughan retires from cricket to a glowing tribute from the current captain, Andrew Strauss

• Kevin Pietersen says Vaughan is a 'great leader of men' • Former England captain admits he had not been playing well The official retirement of Michael Vaughan here today felt more like a coronation than a gold watch and thank-you occasion. Two days after the news was conveyed through his weekend newspaper column, and following tributes from around the globe, cameras whirred and microphones were pushed into place while Vaughan announced that he was … retiring. Even the England and Wales Cricket Board told us as much half an hour earlier via email. But Vaughan, a stylish batsman and an outstanding captain of England, is also a man who in recent years has ­developed a healthy respect for his own self-worth. If he was going to go, he was going to go properly. It was not that Vaughan did not deserve a proper send-off. It was just strange timing that it should happen immediately before the current England captain, Andrew Strauss, presented himself to the media. Strange, too, that it should ... (link)