Vaughan relishing "new lease of life"

Michael Vaughan is doing all he can to earn a recall to the England Test XI this summer

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Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes the national selectors were right to leave him out of the party to tour the West Indies - but insists he will soon be challenging hard for a spot in the England Test side.

Vaughan has not played for his country since resigning the Test captaincy in August but has made it clear he intends to regain his place in the team this summer.

The 34-year-old, who rejected the chance to play in the Indian Premier League, aims to prove himself with Yorkshire in the LV County Championship this season.

That would put him in contention for the two-Test series against West Indies in May and the eagerly-anticipated Ashes series, which begins in July.

“I’m 34 but I feel very fit. Most people write you off at that age, but I feel like I’ve had a new lease of life,” he said.

“It was the right decision not to go (to the West Indies). I’ve loved every minute of not having to think about playing - but now I’m looking forward to getting out there.

“I still have that burning desire - and if you have that, you’re fresh and mentally strong then you have a great chance of achieving your goals.”

The right-hander admits he probably needs to regain his place for this summer’s Ashes to stop his international career coming to an end.

The first of his 82 Tests came against South Africa in November 1999 and he first captained the Test side against the same opponents at Lord’s in 2003.

Vaughan now hopes his appearance against the Proteas at Edgbaston last summer will not be his last Test.

“I’ll be honest, if I don’t play against Australia that will probably be it,” he added.

“But my goal is to try and play. Whatever happens, I’ll carry on playing for a bit - because I love the game, love the dressing room. There’s not many better ways of earning a living than playing cricket.

“We all want to win the Ashes. I, like many players in the county game, want to be part of that lucky 11 who walk out for the first Test. If not, there’s a Test at Headingley; I’ve never played against Australia at Headingley, so I’d love to be there for that.”