Yorkshire opening batsman Michael Vaughan was today appointed as England's one-day captain and he will now help to shape the side for the next World Cup tournament in the West Indies in 2007.

News that the 28-year-old Vaughan had succeeded Nasser Hussain to the post was being revealed at a media conference at Lord's.

The world's heaviest scorer of Test runs in 2002, Vaughan beat off a challenge for the job from Somerset's Marcus Trescothick and Surrey's Adam Hollioake.

Vaughan is a popular choice and if he does well he is now almost certain to take over as Test captain when Hussain decides to call it a day.

"Being made England's one-day captain is a very great honour and I am looking forward to it immensely," said Vaughan.

"I am taking over a side which will start off with several familiar faces missing either through retirement or injury but that does not worry me in the slightest.

"I will have a say in bringing in some new faces and it will be exciting to help shape the England team of the future. Who knows, there may be some Yorkshire names in there!

"What I am certain of is that it is going to be a lot of fun. I want everyone in the side to get real enjoyment out of playing one-day cricket for England.

"I suppose the first really big test will be the ICC Champions' Trophy in England in September of next year. By then we will have played in 25 one-day international matches and will be well on the way to preparing for the next World Cup in the West Indies in 2007."

Ironically, he managed just five runs against Essex yesterday as Yorkshire slumped to their lowest-ever one-day score.

Born in Manchester, but brought up in Sheffield, Vaughan took his first step on the road to stardom in 1991 when he signed a two-year contract at Yorkshire's new Academy of Cricket at Bradford Park Avenue.

He went on to make his Yorkshire debut two years' later in the Roses match at Old Trafford and was awarded his county cap in 1995.

Last year, Vaughan amassed an England record of 1,481 runs in Test cricket in a calendar year and he included six centuries among the total, two of them coming at Lord's.

Vaughan knows that Yorkshire colleagues like skipper Anthony McGrath and Chris Silverwood are on the fringes of selection and he is bound to give them every encouragement.

Only injuries have got in the way of Silverwood playing regularly for England over the past few years while McGrath is one of the younger prospects that are under scrutiny.

Last autumn, McGrath made it on to the list of 30 from which England's World Cup squad was chosen and although he did not go to South Africa he has stayed firmly in the selectors' minds.

McGrath's stock grew last summer when his outstanding knocks in the quarter-final and final of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy were seen on television.

Updated: 11:44 Tuesday, May 06, 2003