Vaughan looking forward to new season

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has insisted that he will have a role to play in the important Ashes series which gets underway later this year.

Michael Vaughan, who famously led England to Ashes glory in 2005, has been left out of the squad for England's tour of the West Indies, starting next week.

The 34-year-old will now join his Yorkshire teammates for a trip to the United Arab Emirates in March, to defend the Pro ARCH Trophy which it won last year.

That tournament represents the first step in Vaughan's crusade to regain his Test place in time for the Ashes series this summer.

Vaughan suggested that he is looking forward to the new season and still has few years of cricket left in him. "It's the first time in a long time where I've been able to do normal things. I feel very refreshed and excited - and that's very important. I am 34 and I feel as though I've got a few more years left in me,” he told the BBC.

"You have to have that excitement and buzz, and really want to go out there and perform, and I certainly have those feelings," he added.

Vaughan also praised his successor Kevin Pietersen, who recently resigned from the post of England captain due to differences with the coach, Peter Moores.

“He was definitely the man for the job, I still think he could do a really good job," said Vaughan.

"As England captain he was very forward thinking, very committed, obviously ruffled a few feathers. But I don't mind that - Nasser Hussain did that as captain and did a fantastic job. Graeme Smith has done that for South Africa.”

"Everyone has got to be themselves, and Kevin Pietersen tried to do it his way and he said last week in his (newspaper) column that he feels his captaincy days aren't finished yet,” he added.