Chip off the old block Archie Vaughan relishing England captaincy test

It comes as the countdown continues to what is sure to be a summer of celebration and commemoration of the 2005 Ashes, when Vaughan’s father, Michael, led England to one of their greatest sporting achievements with a 2-1 series win against Australia.

Vaughan junior, a burgeoning all-rounder who plays for Somerset, for whom he made his first-class and one-day debuts last summer, leads an 18-man squad that flies out on Thursday ahead of the first ODI on January 17.

The squad includes one Yorkshire player in 18-year-old fast bowler Alex Wade, who, like Vaughan, made his England U19 debut last year.

“I found out that I was going to be captain during the training camp before Christmas, and it was a very special moment,” said Vaughan.

“To get the opportunity to represent England at this level is really special in itself, but to lead the team out is something else.

“It will obviously be a good challenge, and we'll have to adapt to the conditions.

"The training camp that we had over there before Christmas was really beneficial, and we're all ready and raring to go.”

Reflecting on his rapid rise, Vaughan added: “If someone had told me 12 months ago that I would have forced my way into the Somerset first team and be captaining the U19s, I wouldn't have believed them.

“It's happened quickly, but I'm going to keep my feet on the ground and work harder and harder.

"The next step is to try and win in South Africa, and hopefully I can perform as well.”

Squad: Archie Vaughan (Somerset, captain), Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Tazeem Ali (Warwickshire), Ben Dawkins (Kent), Kesh Fonseka (Lancashire, Tests only), Alex French (Surrey), Alex Green (Leicestershire), Jack Home (Worcestershire), James Isbell (Middlesex), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Ben Mayes (Hampshire), James Minto (Durham), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Joe Moores (Lancashire, ODIs only), Thomas Rew (Somerset), Aaryan Sawant (Middlesex), Naavya Sharma (Middlesex), Alex Wade (Yorkshire).

Schedule: January 14: 50-over warm-up v Western Province CC, Cape Town; January 17: 1st Youth ODI, Cape Town; January 19: 2nd Youth ODI, Cape Town; January 22: 3rd Youth ODI, Stellenbosch; January 26-29: 1st Youth Test, Stellenbosch; February 3-6: 2nd Youth Test, Cape Town.