Yorkshire 'write off' Vaughan for season

Yorkshire are resigned to a complete no-show from Michael Vaughan, the England captain, in this summer's County Championship campaign.

The season starts next week, but Vaughan will be in the West Indies until early May, leading England in a seven-match one-day international series.

Even after he returns, Yorkshire's director of operations, Geoff Cope, is under no illusions about the adverse effect of England commitments on his county availability.

"We've written off Vaughan as far as this season is concerned," Cope said. "I don't think he will play a Championship game for us. There might be a chance of him appearing in a C&G Trophy game or something like that - but that's going to be about it."

Cope is holding out only marginally more hope of seeing much of Vaughan's county and international colleague Matthew Hoggard. The seamer, who took a hat-trick in England's third-Test win over the West Indies in Barbados last week, is not in the England one-day squad but seems likely to be awarded a central contract.

"Hoggard will almost certainly want a break when he returns from the West Indies, so I doubt whether he will feature in our opening Championship game against Essex," Cope said.

"There is far too much international cricket, although I agree that the job of the counties has to be to provide England players."