After Rahul Dravid had become the first batsman to a thousand Test runs in 2002 during the course of his double hundred in the fourth npower Test at The Oval, Michael Vaughan followed him past the milestone when his score reached 16 in his second innings. The England opener did not realise he was so close.

"I didn't realise I was so close, it's obviously been a great summer with the four centuries, the wickets have been flat, I have rode my luck but I have played pretty well."

His success during the series as a whole helps to ease the pain at twice getting out when in sight of a double hundred. "At Trent Bridge I gave it a bit of a swish but here it was a ball that would have got me at any time - it was a good job I got it on when I did and not any earlier. I would have taken that score before I went out to bat on Thursday."

It also helps to make up for the frustrating time that Vaughan spent out of the side through injury earlier in his Test career. "I missed out through injury quite a lot and when you come into a side you want to make your mark early. But I always seemed to be trying to play catch up. Now I have played 12 on the trot and it helps in Test cricket if you get into a rhythm - I have just felt comfortable in the environment."

His latest triumph has come just at the moment he has got to undergo surgery on an injured knee rather than going to Sri Lanka for the ICC Champions Trophy. "The knee has been sore at the end of every day this week but when you know it is one last game you give it your all and get on with it."

Once the surgery has been completed, he will be out of action for about four weeks before resuming his successful opening partnership with Marcus Trescothick in the quest for the Ashes against the Australians.

"They are a fair way ahead of us at the moment, we have only been together for six or seven Tests," said Vaughan, who has raised his test average to very nearly fifty during the course of this summer. "Marcus is a fantastic player to bat with, we have a good understanding and we trust each other which is one of the main things in a partnership."

The other man to reach a thousand Test runs this calendar year, Dravid, bore no malice towards Ajay Ratra, with whom he was involved in a running mix-up that ended his innings. "It's part and parcel of the game and I have made mistakes before, it can happen at any time and luckily it happened when it did."

© CricInfo