The world's best batsman plays his first county championship match in 11 months at the Rose Bowl tomorrow - on the day he makes history again.

Michael Vaughan will play for Yorkshire in the championship for the first time since last May's draw against Hampshire at Headingley on the day the Wisden 2003 Almanack featuring one of his century celebrations hits the bookshelves.

It is a measure of the progress that Vaughan has made since his last championship game that Wisden has taken the unprecedented decision to have a picture on its front cover.

Since he last played in the county championship Vaughan, 28, has scored six Test hundreds, including the three against Australia during the Ashes series in which he came of age.

The 1481 Test runs he scored in 2002 was more than any other batsman in the world and only Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar have ever scored more in a calendar year.

Vaughan, described by Hampshire manager Paul Terry as "faultless", is also named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year along with Nasser Hussain, Matthew Hayden, Shaun Pollock and Adam Hollioake.

Now Vaughan, who is expected to be named as England's one day captain next week, is preparing to play county cricket for the first time since rising to the top of the world rankings.

He is joined in the Yorkshire side by the fit-again Darren Gough and faces a Hampshire attack including home debutant Wasim Akram, who he last played against in the World Cup win against Pakistan in Cape Town.

Terry, who was based out in Australia during the winter, said: "It's a great opportunity for people to watch these guys now that players like Michael Vaughan are contracted.

"Vaughan batted brilliantly out in Australia, he did terrifically well and took the game to the Aussies. He was aggressive and they admired that.

"Everybody has an Achilles heel but Vaughan looks pretty faultless to me.

"He plays well against the quicks and the spinners and he is very positive but, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether you're Vaughan or Tendulkar, if you put the ball in the right areas you've got a chance.

"We usually get together before a game and chat about the opposition but basically the bowlers have got to bowl well.

"If we don't bowl well to that sort of player, they will make you pay, and it's no different to a top class batter facing a good bowler like Gough.

"Goughie is great, he's larger than life, a great bloke and it's great to see him back and bowling as he can.

"It's good for him, for Yorkshire and for English cricket, he's one of the game's characters.

"It will take a big effort for our guys to do well against him but it will be the same for their guys when they have to face Wasim Akram."

Surrey's clash against Lancashire in the First Division last week was billed as a championship decider but Terry has rubbished any suggestion that the visit of Yorkshire to the Rose Bowl could decide the identity of the Second Division title.

He added: "There's a lot of cricket to be played. Yorkshire will be up there at the end of the season so it's good to play against them so soon after playing Worcestershire, who are another very good side.

"But a lot of sides will be strong, we'll get a nasty shock if we think that only three or four teams will be competitive.

"Somerset will be up there and Gloucestershire have had a good start."