Was Michael Vaughan a better captain than Ray Illingworth, whose 12 England victories trail behind his total but who won them when the pickings were not so easy from emerging nations such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and when the West Indies at their mightiest ruled the game?
Was he better than May, who retained his talent as the most stylish of batsmen even when saddled with responsibility?
Was he better than Mike Brearley, whose 18 triumphs in 31 Tests, including seven series successes, notably the Botham Ashes of 1981, gives him a win ratio of 58%?
Frank Malley writing in the Independent has his reasons to believe the comparisons are futile.
Generations from now, Michael Vaughan's place in English cricketing history will be defined by the epic, and frenetic 2005 Ashes series. He was much more than the magician who turned Andrew Flintoff into a national hero that summer, the senior role model brave enough to let the then rookie Kevin Pietersen bat with unbridled exuberance, and the mentor who encouraged Simon Jones to produce swinging exocets that defied the laws of physics. Oliver Brett has more in his blog on the BBC website.
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