There was no doubting the identity of England's hero on the fourth day of the Melbourne Test. Michael Vaughan contributed 145 to England's second innings total of 387 and in so doing reached his sixth hundred of the year, his second in this series and passed Sachin Tendulkar's aggregate to end 2002 as the highest scoring Test batsman with 1,481 runs.

Reflecting on the day, Vaughan said, "I got in in the morning and I just tried to continue in a positive vein. Australia bowled a few loose balls and I got off to a flyer.

"My feet were moving well and I was hitting the ball with the middle of the bat and I guess it was just one of those days. It's a good wicket to come in and play your strokes on.

"I just felt if I could have been there for a bit longer I thought we could give them 200 to chase and I'm disappointed we didn't set them more to chase tomorrow."

The Yorkshireman refused to be carried away by his achievement during a year during which he has established himself as a true Test-class opening batsman.

"I've always said I will look at my stats when my career has finished but if I'm being mentioned alongside Graham Gooch and Dennis Compton then I must be doing something right. I'm still pretty young and the stats will mean more to me when I finish my career, not at 28.

"It's fantastic to be mentioned in the same breath as Tendulkar, Hayden, Ponting, Langer. I'm not a massive one for stats but it's pretty special to be at the top of that list.

"I've still only played 27 Tests and I've got a long way to go in my career. It's how you cope in the bad times, not when you're doing well."

"It's been a very good year. The last nine months have been very special. To score six centuries, and the manner in which I've scored them has been very pleasing. The two against Australia are extremely special. For one they are abroad, the first time I had scored a centuries abroad, and two, they are against undoubtedly one of the best test teams ever."

Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, on his return to the Australian Test side after nearly a year out, took five wickets in England's second innings. He came back into the side to replace Shane Warne who suffered a shoulder injury in the VB Series. MacGill was satisfied with his return.

"To sneak one through there (against Vaughan, caught at slip) was really a big victory for me," MacGill said. "Going around the wicket and pushing one through a little bit, he misjudged a stroke, which I didn't see too often."

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