Michael Vaughan Photo Photosport

Saturday's series-equalling win proved a big day out for Yorkshire's Michael Vaughan but it ended with him suffering a shoulder injury that could deny him a place in Tuesday's all-important series decider with New Zealand at Carisbrook in Dunedin.

Vaughan won his place in the side with a net display so convincing on Friday that neither coach Duncan Fletcher nor skipper Nasser Hussain could consider leaving him out of the team.

He repaid their faith with a fine innings of 59 off 57 balls, two catches at the top of the New Zealand order and some much-needed solidity in the field.

But he also provided two classic examples of the qualities that have seen him labelled as an unlucky cricketer, something he acknowledges himself.

His run out when dropping the bat over the line as the stumps were broken to end his innings and falling badly on his shoulder in the field were disappointing for him.

"I hit the ground and it went out of the socket and straight back in. It was a weird feeling. Once I knew it had gone back in I felt very confident it wasn't bad. It is very stiff today and the scan tomorrow will give indications when I can play," he said.

A similar injury had occurred during a four-day game for Yorkshire three years ago but he couldn't remember if it was to the same shoulder.

"I'm sure it's not going to be long term," he said, and added that if he did miss out on Tuesday's game which the England camp are regarding as a final, he would be very disappointed.

He was very happy with his innings because when getting going against New Zealand they responded by increasing the pressure. They brought the slips back in but that also gave more chances to hit boundaries which he did to get the momentum going in his innings.

Vaughan also clarified the circumstances surrounding his dismissal which saw him walking from the field before the final adjudication had been made, by way of lights, from the third umpire.

Vaughan had tried to get back into his ground as New Zealand slow left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori fired a sharp return at the stumps. As the bails were broken, Vaughan dropped his bat and the third umpire was called for.

As he and Graham Thorpe waited, Thorpe moved across to the umpires and Vaughan called out "Am I out?"

"The indication I got was that I was so that's why I walked off," he said.

He assumed the radio contact between the umpires and the third umpires had conveyed the message before the lights were activated.

After getting past his half century, Vaughan entertained ideas of a three-figure score, but as it turned out the rain would have put paid to that.

He had wondered if he would get a chance at all in the series, especially after Owais Shah made the side.

But once he got the call on Saturday morning that he would play, he wanted to put into practice the work he had been doing over the last six to 12 months with the coach. This involved trying to dominate the bowling by getting a good base to an innings and then dominating.

During the Indian leg of the tour he felt he had been playing a reckless shot a little early in his innings.

"It's all about learning, especially batting at five, six or seven in the order," he said.

Yesterday had been a day when his feet were moving well and he was seeing the ball well out of the bowler's hand.

"It's days like that, that you want to try and cash in," he said.

That's why he wants to be playing on Tuesday in order to try and play a bigger innings in a tougher environment, a final, which would be a much more important innings than in Auckland.

For England to beat New Zealand after being down in the series, against a side with many more one-day caps than England, and after New Zealand's play in Australia would be a great feat for the side.

New Zealand and India had been similar sides but the New Zealand use of body language and greater chirping in the middle was obvious. Both sides had world-class players.

"They both have players who can change a game in half an hour. Who knows what Chris Cairns could have done batting for another half hour last night?

"And [Sachin] Tendulkar and [Sourav] Ganguly are the same for India.

"They are two teams to be very wary of, but they are also very beatable," he said.

Vaughan enjoys both forms of the game and while less experienced in international one-day play he hoped he was learning quickly.

"It's every players' dream to play in the World Cup. The competition for places is going to be very high," he said.

Vaughan knows how he wants to claim his place - by modelling himself on the way Thorpe, his partner during yesterday's 89-run stand, plays.

"You look at the way Thorpey plays in the middle of the innings and that is the kind of player I'd like to be. He keeps his cool, he knocks it around in the gaps and if the ball's there to hit he hits the fours but he also keeps a very cool head.

"Playing with him, practising with him, we're all trying to learn from him and batting with him yesterday definitely helped me," he said.

Vaughan was also keen to put into practice a new style of catching, one more in tune with the Australian style of reverse cupping the ball.

The England side had been working very hard to develop their catching and fielding.

Clearly, Vaughan has a role to play in the England one-day side of the future and it would be no surprise were New Zealand to be relieved if he was unable to play in the final match, so commanding was his performance in Auckland.

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