England captain Michael Vaughan described his century against Sri Lanka as his most satisfying yet. Vaughan's first ton as skipper set the tourists up for a tense draw in Kandy, and leaves the series tied at 0-0 going into next week's final Test.
"It's without a doubt toughest hundred I've ever got," Vaughan told BBC Sport
"Over the last couple of years I've scored at quite a rate but I knew today I had to dig in and see out as much time as possible for the team."
"I'm delighted we got away with a draw and Colombo will be set up beautifully now."
 |  For Read and Batty to withstand an hour and 20 minutes against one of the best spinners ever was a true effort |
It was a welcome return to form for the Yorkshire batsman, who has struggled with the bat since replacing Nasser Hussain at the helm of the team in July. "I just told myself to bat. I tried not to look at the big picture or think that I'm captain," he explained.
"I admitted during the summer I let it affect my batting too much so I tried to get away from that in Bangladesh.
"Runs weren't my main issue. We kept on losing crucial wickets at the beginning of every session and once you do that you have to dig in and bat for time and try and wear them down."
Vaughan was dismissed by star Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan 86 minutes before the end, and it was left to eighth wicket pair Gareth Batty and Chris Read to see England home.
"I'll probably grab a few headlines but for Read and Batty to withstand an hour and 20 minutes against one of the best spinners ever was a true effort.
 Batty and Read stood firm for the last hour and a half |
"They're only in their first few games so that will give them a hell of a lot of confidence." Read said: "It's not easy when you lose the toss and you have to face the world's best spinner in Muralitharan on turning tracks."
"We took it step-by-step and it was great to be in there at the end with Gareth."
Read described Vaughan's ton as "awesome".
"It was a feat of concentration but the skill he played with was superb," the wicket-keeper added.
Batty conceded he may not be in the team for the final Test, which begins on Thursday.
Fellow off-spinner Robert Croft is waiting in the wings, and could play in his first Test for two years if England make a change.
"The wicket here was a bit different to what I expected and I probably didn't adapt quick enough," he said.
"Crofty's a fine bowler and whatever balance England go with I'm happy with as long as we win the series," Batty claimed.
MMIX
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