By Oliver Brett

Vaughan commentates for Test Match Special in South Africa this winter

Former England captain Michael Vaughan says cricket's grassroots could lose out if future home Ashes series are shown on terrestrial television.

Vaughan sympathises with the concerns of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who have already voiced their fears.

He told BBC Sport: "You can't just lose the money that Sky are bringing in.

"If the Ashes are shown on terrestrial TV there will be some financial implications and a new revenue stream will need to be generated."

In August 2008, the ECB signed a new four-year television deal with exclusive live broadcaster Sky Sports and Five (who show daily highlights of home Tests), worth a combined £300m and running from 2010 until 2013.

However, any future deal is unlikely to be so lucrative, with the 25 days of Test cricket during home Ashes series from 2017 likely to be reserved for major terrestrial broadcasters, assuming the Government accepts the recommendations of its own review panel.

Vaughan said he was concerned that "not enough people" had watched England's successful 2009 Ashes campaign (shown live only to Sky subscribers) compared to the 2005 series, broadcast on Channel Four.

I love Alastair Cook in the dressing room but he's not an England captain now... his Test place is not nailed down, he should be concentrating on scoring as many runs as he can this tour Michael Vaughan

But he went on: "Sky are creating so may opportunities for people in coaching, grassroots, Team England, Loughborough [the base of the ECB Academy] and the improved facilities around all the Test match grounds."

Vaughan said the ECB had missed the boat several times recently to attract extra investment in cricket, citing the shelved plan to have franchise sides replace the counties in Twenty20 cricket, as well as the Sir Allen Stanford fiasco and declining the offer to run the new Champions League with the Indian board.

"We are all passionate about cricket and we want what's best for the game. We need as many people as possible watching the game but we need financial clout to run the game, so it's a fine balance," Vaughan, who will commentate for Test Match Special this winter, added.

"The best advertisement for cricket is an England team that wins regularly. We've won the Ashes, which is great, but if we don't back that up with a performance against South Africa, all is lost.

"The biggest thing that sells is success. If you have success people will want to follow and watch. We need a successful England team over a period of time."

Gordon Farquhar's blog The protected list had existed for many years and was well overdue another tweak

Vaughan also said Alastair Cook should concentrate on scoring runs in the Tests in South Africa, and not worry about possibly captaining England on the subsequent tour of Bangladesh - if, as expected, Andrew Strauss is rested.

Cook deputised for the injured Paul Collingwood in the second Twenty20 international, but Vaughan said the management should have gone with someone more experienced: "I love Alastair Cook in the dressing room but he's not an England captain now.

"Ultimately you have to hold your place in the team. He's not in the best 15 50-over players in the country and he's certainly not in the best 11 20-over cricketers and suddenly he's the captain.

"I think we are trying to force and create a progression plan far too early, it should just happen. Andrew Strauss came by the England captaincy by default, Michael Vaughan came by the left-wing, Nasser Hussain by the right-wing.

"Those that have been set out to be England captain have never been very good. I'm saying don't push [Cook] into it yet. Fundamentally he's got to have a fantastic Test tour.

"His Test place is not nailed down, he should be concentrating on scoring as many runs as he can this tour. Let him focus on doing that and if he does - and Andrew Strauss is rested for the Bangladesh tour - then we'll look at it then."

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