Vaughan's talent needs disciplined concentration to flourish at highest level

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Vaughan shows England the escape route

Perera's action must be scrutinised

'I just put my head down and ran'

One of Michael Vaughan's main problems seems to be his amiable nature. His inability to convert good starts in Test cricket to the long innings that make a difference in the context of the game at this level, can be put down to his lack of the Yorkshire cussedness which has served the Tykes so well over the years.

This is not to doubt Vaughan's determination to succeed or his singleness of purpose, but it raises questions about his levels of concentration. It also asks the question whether he has learned as much street wisdom as he should have done now that he has played in 17 Test matches.

He is such a good, compact and accomplished stroke-maker that he should have been scoring more runs for England than he has. There have also been those dreadful moments when his thinking seems to have gone haywire. In the third Test in Bangalore last winter he bent down and put his hand on the ball in the crease beside him when he feared it would run back into the stumps and was rightly given out for handling the ball.

In the one-day international against New Zealand in Auckland in February he was dawdling about out of his crease when the ball was returned to the bowler, Daniel Vettori who proceeded to run him out.

Imagine either of these fates befalling Len Hutton, Ray Illingworth, Geoffrey Boycott or indeed almost any other Yorkshireman who has played for his county. One can almost hear Fred Trueman expostulating in the commentary box if an England batsman, let alone a Yorkshireman, had got out in this way while he was on the air.

There has been something a little airy-fairy about some of Vaughan's batting. He began this fourth day in some trouble against the trio of Sri Lankan left-arm over-the-wicket medium-pacers who naturally slant the ball across and away from the right-hander. He was dropped twice at first slip by Sanath Jayasuriya, normally the safest of catchers, and both chances came off deliveries he should have left alone.

For quite a time after these two let-offs Vaughan was clearly unsettled by this angle of delivery and he played and missed several times, but the longer he stayed the better he began to bat. He should have learned from this innings, but, having reached a hundred, he forgot himself and pushed at Ruchira Perera's second ball of a new left-arm over spell and was caught behind. Although he went off to a huge ovation, the question mark remains. Vaughan must learn to get his teeth in a little bit tighter. He has a great talent which he must discipline rather more tightly. If he succeeds he should find himself opening the England innings for years to come and could well be the man to take on the captaincy from Nasser Hussain when the time comes.