LONDON, May 31: Former England batting star Graham Thorpe feels Michael Vaughan should retire from one-day cricket to make way for Kevin Pietersen as the next captain. Vaughan has rarely looked the part of an ODI batsman and Thorpe believed he should focus on Test cricket in order for Pietersen to inspire England in the shorter version of the game.

“Michael Vaughan should have retired from ODIs after the World Cup and I think he should reconsider now to prolong his Test career to the Ashes,” Thorpe, who played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs, wrote in his column for Teletext Sport.

“Some people may find this surprising but I'd like to see Kevin Pietersen take over as one-day skipper, as I believe it could be the making of him. You need people with that hunger to play ODIs, and I think Pietersen could inspire a new-look one day team.”

Thorpe, who retired from the game when Pietersen took his middle-order spot for the 2005 Ashes, marked out his maiden double hundred against West Indies last week as further proof of what lay ahead.

“Pietersen's innings at Leeds proved to me that he has the mental strength that could make him England's highest ever run-scorer.”—Agencies