What is the future for Michael Vaughan now he has been overlooked for the England squad?

He's at the crossroads now. He needs to make the decision of whether he wants to play for Yorkshire and hope that some fortuitous injuries give him a chance, if he can find some form, for the end of career his is looking for. If he decides his England days are behind him, he must decide whether he wants to carry on playing county cricket.

Is the Ashes the be-all and end-all for Vaughan?

He has said publicly that he enjoys playing for Yorkshire whether he is playing for England or not. It's all very well saying that, but it could be another thing if the realisation hits home that he has no chance of playing for England again. He is still on a central contract, but should he decide to retire I expect he would not be short of offers for things to do.

What do you think his decision will be?

It completely depends on the individual. I didn't want to go on playing county cricket when I finished with England. I didn't see the point. For me, the whole point of playing county cricket was to play for England. But others see it differently. Marcus Trescothick was happy to carry on playing for Somerset and Darren Gough continued after his England days were over.

Another 2005 Ashes hero, Stephen Harmison, is also out of the 16. Should he be considering his future too?

It is a different case with Harmison because he has been picked in the England Lions team and is in quite good form at the moment. There is the chance for him if he gets a bag full of wickets, even though he is not in the 16-man squad.

Both Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell are in the squad, who will be batting at No 3 for England this summer?

Bopara is definitely the first choice at No 3 ahead of Bell at the moment. If you look at the 11-man team to play against Warwickshire [in a pre-Ashes warm-up match], it is as good as the 11-man team that will play in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff.

What prospects are there for players outside the 16-man squad to force their way in?

The only player who is not in the 16-man squad that is likely to push their way in is Harmison, barring a lot of injuries. If Matt Prior was injured they would have to bring in another wicketkeeper, as there is only one in the 16. Owais Shah looks out of contention now. If he is not in the 16 and not in the Lions team, that means there are a lot of players ahead of him.