Close England 332 for 7 (Vaughan 127, Hauritz 3-48) drew with Queensland 582
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A century from Michael Vaughan, in his first innings for two months, was the highlight of a sedate final day at Allan Border Field in England's last outing before the Ashes series begins on Thursday.

Vaughan was dropped three times on his way to 127, but no other Englishman managed a half-century as they reached 322 for 7 before bad light forced an early close.

England resumed on 106 for 1 and lost only one wicket in the morning session: nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard, caught behind by Wade Seccombe off Mike Kasprowicz for 1. Vaughan added 92 for the third wicket with Mark Butcher, who progressed to 45 before edging Ashley Noffke to Seccombe off the first ball after lunch (199 for 3).

Nasser Hussain cracked five fours in a slightly sketchy 28 before becoming the first of three wickets for the young offspinner Nathan Hauritz, mistiming a drive to Kasprowicz (259 for 4). Vaughan was next to go (275 for 5), lbw on the back foot to end a 204-ball innings that included 23 fours and a six - those boundaries accounted for 77% of his runs.

John Crawley laboured to 7 off 40 balls, before edging Hauritz to slip (292 for 6), and Andrew Flintoff edged Lee Carseldine to Jimmy Maher (308 for 7). Alec Stewart ended unbeaten on 30.

"I'm delighted with the way it's gone," Vaughan said after the match. "It was probably the perfect game for me with four or five sessions in the field, and three or four out there batting - it was a true test of whether the knee is fit and it's come through really well.

"I was a bit concerned before the match, like any injury you're a bit concerned when you come back, but it got stronger with every hour in the field on the first day and I grew in confidence from that."

With Flintoff and Vaughan getting through this match unscathed, England look set to start the first Test with the side who played here.

Hoggard is struggling to find swing but will play, while the form of Crawley is also worryingly poor. England have the option of replacing him with Robert Key, who started the tour in a blaze of boundaries, but you suspect Crawley's prowess against Shane Warne will carry more weight than his fallibility against Glenn McGrath.

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