Lara in positive mood

Brian Lara will be disappointed if Michael Vaughan ends his run of low scores at Lord's this week. Disappointed, but not surprised.

"I hope he comes into this match with low confidence, because that would definitely help us," said West Indies captain Lara ahead of today's opening npower Test.

"But Michael is a class player and someone who can climb out of any tough situation he's in."

Vaughan's first Test as captain was at Lord's a year ago and the grand old ground would be the perfect place, and this week's first match of a series the ideal time, for Vaughan to rediscover his touch.

The fact that he averages 33 in 15 Tests as captain, compared with almost 51 across 31 matches in the ranks, suggests he may have spent more time over the year worrying about team matters than his own form.

But it was Vaughan's lack of runs and his honest assessment that he felt horribly out of touch during the recent one-day tournament that set alarm bells ringing. "The last week and a half I've donated to my batting," he said. "I got back to a few basics and had a couple of good sessions with coach Duncan Fletcher.

"I've worked endlessly but I feel my rhythm is back. You've still got to go out and get the runs and that's one part of the game I need to put right. I must try to get a big score for the team and myself."

It was Vaughan's total of 47 runs in five innings against New Zealand and the West Indies during the NatWest triangular tournament that caused concern and sent him in search of a few answers in the nets.