Vaughan: We must be fearless

Michael Vaughan, the England captain, has urged his young side to show fearlessness and to use their inexperience as a positive factor, as England prepare for the World Cup.

"A young team can sometimes be surprising," Vaughan told a news conference ahead of the tournament's opening ceremony on Sunday at Sabina Park. "They can sometimes have no fear. I see that in some of the young players -- they don't fear many situations and that is exactly what they will have to be like in the next few weeks.

"They can't be fearful of facing world stars, they have to be really excited about the challenge ahead of them."

Vaughan, more than anyone in the England set-up, has been instrumental in opening up team debates to all members of his squad and not, as in pervious regimes, relying on age as the prerequisite for a valid opinion or tactic.

"We have an environment where not necessarily the oldest player in the squad comes up with the best idea," he said. "Who is to say that the youngest guy in the squad doesn't have the best idea? Maybe he hasn't the experience of the guys who have played more games but sometimes fresh is best.

"It will be the likes of myself, Andrew and Paul who have played World Cups to pass on a bit of knowledge but we haven't had success in World Cups.

"Something that we are trying to accommodate within the team is to have an open voice and the young players in St. Vincent certainly gave a lot of input to the team in the way that they spoke," he said. "It is down to the team to think on their feet - that is the kind of team that we have tried to create."

An "open" management style alone won't be sufficient to win the World Cup, however. Though England beat Bermuda in their first warm-up last week, it preceded an under-par effort against Australia who beat them convincingly by 5 wickets. Their opening encounter is no less tough, facing New Zealand at St Lucia on Friday.

"It is looking a big game," he said. "We know New Zealand are a tough team and in recent tournaments they have always been there or thereabouts towards the end of it. They have a vast amount of experience and knowledge.

"If we turn up and get our performance right and preparation right we can match any team in the world on that given day. It is about getting that performance right on that day. I do think the tournament is wide open. One-day cricket is a real momentum game and anything can happen."