England are optimistic that Michael Vaughan's innings against Pakistan has finally ended their search for a No 3 batsman.

His Test-best 84 not out saw him put on an unbroken stand of 189 with Graham Thorpe and rescue England from a perilous 15-2. His was an innings of character and of confidence.

And if it means that he has made the No 3 spot his own, it will ease the burden on skipper Nasser Hussain who can drop down the order.

Coach Duncan Fletcher said: "Michael has shown us the talent for some time now and we've been waiting to give him an opportunity there. We didn't want to rush him; we wanted to start him at No six and when an opportunity has arisen injuries have stopped him.

"He has waited, we've been patient with him and he's shown us that he's got a lot of class.

"Your technique has got to be good to play there; you've got to go in when the ball's moving around which is like an opening batsman, but you've also got to have some sort of mental strength."

Now both Fletcher and Vaughan are hoping the Yorkshireman can go on to get his first Test century.

Fletcher said: "Once you have got a century you know you can make it in Test cricket. It is every batsman's dream - it's what you first set out to do and once you've done that you then move on from there and hope to score a lot more."

There is no doubt that Vaughan benefited from batting with Thorpe who, in his current form, must rank among the best batsmen in the world.

"He seems to have taken a liking to quite a lot of bowling," said Fletcher. "He's very consistent, he's batted well for us under different circumstances, he's shown he's got a lot of character and fight and it's nice to see him bat with the youngsters like Michael Vaughan.

"Graham's a really good role model. He runs between the wickets well, he's alert and he shows a lot of cricket awareness - he's a world-class cricketer."

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