Vaughan determined to put England on the front foot

Michael Vaughan has come a long way in the last six months. From a player who many perceived to be an underachiever, a batsman who kept finding foolish ways of getting out – handled ball in India springs to mind – he has transformed himself into a cricketer who is on the verge of receiving that sought after tag "world class".

However, before joining this exclusive club Vaughan has to pass one final examination – a tour of Australia. It will not be easy, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie are sure to ask harder questions then Chaminda Vaas and Ajit Agarkar, but having had a wonderful summer the challenges of an Ashes series could not have come at a better time for the 27-year-old. "I know it is going to be a tough winter," Vaughan said, "but I also expect it to be the most enjoyable of my career.

"Nasser [Hussain] and Stewy [Alec Stewart] both say Australia is a fantastic place to bat. Nasser thinks it is the best tour for a batsman because you know you are going to play on good pitches and the practice facilities are second to none.

"Obviously the Aussies are in form [they beat Pakistan by an innings and 198 runs inside two days over the weekend] and at the moment they have the best bowling attack in the world. They are very good at spotting weaknesses in your game and if they see one they really home in on it. I expect them to have something in store for me. It is my job to be able to cope with it."

Vaughan scored four centuries and 900 runs this summer against Sri Lanka and India so their bowlers may not be the ones that Steve Waugh contacts for details of any flaws in Vaughan's technique. Watching on television will have been the Australian captain's best chance to have a good look at the Yorkshire opener and this summer even he must have been impressed, whilst playing for Kent, with the form shown by Vaughan.

However, the opening Test in Brisbane will not be the first time that Vaughan has faced Australia – he scored nought in a one-day international at Manchester in 2001– but it will give him his first Test cap against the old foe.

Since that summer, where Vaughan missed all five Tests against Australia through injury, his international career has blossomed and he now proudly sits as England's highest ranked batsmen in the World, at number 10. And showing the confidence that enabled him to rise to such heights he said that he does not intend to change his game, no matter what tactics the Aussies use. In fact listening to the opener it appears that he would like England to take the game to Australia with the bat as well as get after them with the ball.

"I have only faced three overs of Shane Warne, while playing for Yorkshire against Hampshire, and a bit of Gillespie on an England A tour, so I will be as new to them as they are to me. This is a great opportunity for me to show, and for people to judge, just how far I have come but I intend to bat in exactly the same manner as I did all summer. I will try and score off every ball and if I do hit it I will look for a run.

"McGrath and Gillespie are very accurate with the new ball so good running between the wickets is vital. Tres [Marcus Trescothick] and I will try and get among them early and try to put them off their line and length. Batting positively will help all our batsmen because we will all be in a better mental state if we look to be positive rather than just survive."

And being a realist as well as having an eye on the future of the England side he could be captaining in a year's time he said: "The most important thing is that we make progress and come back better players, no matter what happens."