Vaughan keen to catch the eye

Michael Vaughan - on duty for the MCC - keeps himself busy in the field on the opening day of the English county season

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Michael Vaughan is determined to convince the selectors of his worth to the England side by sheer weight of runs.

The former captain spent the opening day of the season in the field as Durham reached 244 for four in the traditional curtain-raiser against MCC at Lord’s.

Vaughan has not played for his country since resigning as captain following the third npower Test against South Africa last July, but he was this week named in the England Performance Squad for the international summer.

He is under no illusions, however, that he must score heavily during the early weeks of the season if he is to win his place back for the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s, which begins on May 6.

“My ambition hasn't changed since January,” Vaughan said. “I'd love to play in the Test match here against the West Indies.

"The only way I'm going to do that is by scoring runs and I'm sure scoring a lot of runs this week would do my chances no harm at all.

“I'm trying not to look too far ahead. I've just got to play as well as I can.”

Vaughan and Ian Bell, who was dropped by England during the recent tour of the West Indies, are among those keen to impress the selectors.

And national selector Geoff Miller admits he will be keeping a keen eye on those pressing for inclusion during the remainder of this game and beyond.

Youngster Chris Woakes enhanced his reputation with a wicket as Durham reached 244 for four

"There might be one or two that need to get some runs but they know the situation," said Miller, who spent much of the day at Lord’s debriefing with Andy Flower, England's stand-in head coach in the Caribbean.

“There are lots of permutations. The reason these players are playing here - it's not a trial as such - is for us to see where they are with their specific games because early decisions have to be made in the selection.”

England's trimmed-down World Twenty20 party will also be named by May 1 and one of the 30-man provisional squad, Chris Woakes, impressed with the ball on the opening day of the summer, claiming 1-44 from 14 overs.

Warwickshire's Woakes, 20, was one of six young English fast bowlers sent to a Florida fitness camp over the winter and also spent time at Dennis Lillee's academy in Chennai.

“What we have got to do is pick a successful side now and try to create fringe players that are good enough internationally to feed into that whatever problems might arise - lack of form or injuries - and we have also got to make sure that England is in a good position in two or three years' time," added Miller.

"What we are trying to do is feed people in so they can get a taste of cricket which is slightly better than domestic cricket.

"We feed them in and find out about them. If we've got it right they continue on the belt and if we've got it wrong then we need to feed someone else in.

“We have seen what he (Woakes) has done here and he's done pretty well.”

Durham's total owed much to 53 from Michael Di Venuto and Ian Blackwell's rapid unbeaten 63, while Tim Bresnan took 2-44.