England's captain, Michael Vaughan, walks off the field after his dismissal during their Super Eight match against South Africa in Bridgetown on Tuesday. - Reuters

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP):

MICHAEL VAUGHAN took the acclaim when he led England to its 2005 Ashes triumph. Now the same fans greet his name with boos.

England's World Cup elimination on Tuesday brought into focus the woeful batting form of skipper Vaughan, who struggled through the premier limited-overs event and compiled just 130 runs in nine innings.

Vaughan has never effectively transferred his Test batting success to the one-day version. But his stuttering form during the World Cup did little to lift an ailing England side badly in need of direction.

"My batting has not been good in one-day cricket," said Vaughan, who has now kept England waiting for his maiden one-day century after 85 matches.

Vaughan, who has been plagued by knee injuries during the past 15 months, on Tuesday defended his captaincy even as he conceded that his place in the limited-overs squad might be under threat.

"I'm a very honest guy who says my position in the team is hugely under doubt due to my batting," Vaughan said.

Very good captain

"But I still believe I'm a very good captain; I'm not retiring. Honestly, we as an England team have had a very disappointing six months, a poor winter in all aspects."

Vaughan said England's disappointing show extended from the Champions Trophy in October to this World Cup performance, and it included a 5-0 Ashes drubbing by Australia.

"We went to the Ashes with high expectations, but lost 5-0. The one-day series win saw us return home smiling and hoping we had a chance in the World Cup," Vaughan said.

"To be knocked out of the World Cup in the circumstances we were, isn't acceptable. It's a very sad day for English cricket; it's a horrible feeling. We've let quite a lot of people down."

Vaughan accepted that England's debacle would be assessed by the authorities.

"I'm not stupid to think that it's not going to be an area of concern," Vaughan said. "It's not about Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher; it's about leading the team forward. There will be many conversations, the grass is always greener on the other side."

Vaughan said Fletcher, whose future is also in doubt, was an outstanding coach, who still had a lot to contribute to English cricket.