Michael Vaughan believes captain Andrew Strauss should be rested for the tour of Bangladesh to give England the best possible chance of retaining the Ashes in Australia.

Strauss flew out with his squad at the weekend for a tough tour of South Africa which follows hot on the heels of a gruelling summer schedule, which included a World Twenty20 tournament and the Champions Trophy on top of England's Ashes victory.

And Vaughan believes the skipper must take time away following the South Africa trip, saying: "I think he should. You've got to look at the bigger picture. The guys are playing far too much."

He added: "It's not the actual playing side, it's the mental side of being away and constantly being in a cricket environment.

"So just taking Straussy out for a three-week break will regenerate his energy levels going into next summer and we have to have all our players fit and firing for next winter which is the big one - the Ashes."

Another issue at stake is the captaincy succession. The abrupt departure of Kevin Pietersen from the post earlier this year put into sharp focus the lack of options England have at their disposal, with Strauss seen by many as the only man in the set-up capable of taking on the role.

Opener Alastair Cook is now the official vice-captain and logic would dictate that he would stand in for the Bangladesh tour should Strauss be absent.

But Vaughan believes that, with the 24-year-old having struggled for form this year, the decision is not as straightforward as it may seem.

"That's not been decided yet," he said. "I think we're all jumping to conclusions. Cooky's under a huge amount of pressure this series to deliver. He's had a good time in the team since he came in. He's developed a real strong respect from the rest of the players which is ultimately what you need as a captain.

"But he has to deliver with runs on the board and he has to get a lot of runs in South Africa just to give himself that confidence that, if he does get the job, he's speaking from a position of strength."