On this day in 2006: Michael Vaughan ruled out of Ashes series with knee injury

The 31-year-old had led his country to victory over Australia the previous summer.

England captain Michael Vaughan was forced to miss the 2006-07 Ashes tour through injury (Gareth Copley/PA) (PA Archive)

On this day in 2006, England captain Michael Vaughan was ruled out of the Ashes series in Australia due to a knee injury.

The 31-year-old, who had ended an 18-year wait for an Englishman to raise the urn the previous summer, was forced to call time on his hopes of mounting a successful defence on Australian soil after a fourth operation on his right knee.

Vaughan had not played for his country since the series in Pakistan before Christmas 2005, which ended prematurely for him when he returned home to undergo a procedure to clear out the joint.

The Yorkshire batter had earlier aborted two attempts to return after surgery, leading his country into their tour of India in February of the same year but heading home on the eve of the first Test, and then – after a lengthy lay-off – managing three County Championship matches before having to admit defeat once again.

In the absence of their captain, England endured a nightmare Down Under, succumbing to a 5-0 whitewash under 2005 hero Andrew Flintoff.

Vaughan returned to the helm for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, but resigned as one-day captain weeks later after they failed to make it past the Super 8 stage following a drubbing by South Africa, who took just 19.2 overs to score the 155 they needed for victory.

He remained as Test captain until the following summer, when – after struggling for form personally – he ended his 51-match, five-year reign following a series defeat by South Africa.