South Africa in England 2008
Vaughan steps down as captain
Cricinfo staff
August 3, 2008

	Michael Vaughan has resigned as captain following defeat against South Africa © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan has resigned as England captain following the series defeat against South Africa, which was sealed by the five-wicket loss at Edgbaston on Saturday.
The decision was announced during a hastily arranged press conference at Loughborough even though yesterday evening Vaughan said he "would let the dust" settle on the defeat.
Paul Collingwood has also stood down as one-day captain, meaning that England will announce a new captain for both forms of the game on Monday. The frontrunner is Kevin Pietersen, who is a fixture in both teams. Collingwood is currently serving a four-match suspension for a slow over-rate.
An emotional Vaughan said he felt the time was right to go and will take some time out of the game and won't play in the final Test at The Oval, though he remains available for selection for future England contests.
"It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but also the easiest," said Vaughan. "I put my heart and soul into the job but if I kept on going my career could have come to an abrupt end. I think this decision will prolong my career.
"I thought it might be time to go in New Zealand, where my body was working well but my mind was not working well. I will always cherish the support I've had, but this is a weight off my shoulders.
"I had every ambition to lead the England team to the next Ashes Series but as England captain I feel I've run out of steam," he added. "I believe that the best thing for the team is to embark on a new direction under a new captain.
"I also believe the best thing for me is to try and get back to being best batsmen I can be. I'll still have all the experience and knowledge to pass on and I hope to be a valuable player for both my county and the England team.

Vaughan's captaincy timeline July 2003 - Named England captain for the second Test against South Africa at Lord's after Nasser Hussain steps down August 2003 - Secures first Test win as captain, by 70 runs at Trent Bridge August 2003 - England level the series against South Africa with a nine-wicket win at The Oval March 2004 - Leads England to their first series win in West Indies since 1967-68 May-August 2004 - England win all seven Tests in the summer against New Zealand and West Indies January 2005 - A draw at Centurion Park gives England a series victory in South Africa for the first time since 1965 September 2005 - England regain the Ashes after 16 years with a draw at The Oval February 2006 - Breaks down with a knee injury at the start of tour of India. Doesn't play again for nearly a year May 2007 - Makes Test comeback with a century at Headingley against West Indies June 2007 - Resigns one-day captaincy August 2007 - Loses his first home series as captain, going down 1-0 to India March 2008 - Drops Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison after Hamilton defeat against New Zealand August 2008 - Resigns as Test captain following five-wicket loss against South Africa at Edgbaston

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who have always been so supportive and have provided a huge inspiration to me as captain. A captain is only as good as his teams and I've been fortunate enough to captain some terrific players and great blokes."
It brings an end to Vaughan's 51-match run as captain, four games short of becoming England's long-serving leader, although his 26 victories makes him, statistically, the most successful captain.
"He's led from the front and always led with integrity and honesty. He's been the best possible ambassador for the England cricket team," said managing director Hugh Morris.
However, the pressure on Vaughan has been growing in recent months despite back-to-back series victories against New Zealand. The series loss to South Africa is England's third in five series, dating back to the 1-0 reversal against India last summer. They then lost by the same margin in Sri Lanka before losing the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. Vaughan led a shake-up of the team by dropping Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison and England hit back to take the series, but the performances were not convincing.
Adding to the stress on Vaughan has been his own lack of runs. He has made 40 in five innings against South Africa, consistently being troubled by the pace bowlers, and his last ten Test have produced just one century and an average of 22.
He took on the role against South Africa in 2003, following Nasser Hussain's resignation which also came after an Edgbaston Test. His first Test in charge, at Lord's, was a thumping innings defeat, but he subsequently secured victories at Trent Bridge and The Oval as England shared the series.
The defeats in the past two weeks at Headingley and Edgbaston were the first time he has lost back-to-back Tests and a hallmark of his reign as captain was how England could bounce back from defeats. His finest moment was the 2005 Ashes victory, although he was also at the helm for historic away successes against West Indies in 2004 and South Africa in 2005.
© Cricinfo












Major changes in England cricket
Collingwood ends one-day captaincy
Cricinfo staff
August 3, 2008

	Paul Collingwood's time as one-day has not always been easy and without controversy © Getty Images

Paul Collingwood's time as England one-day captain has come to end on the same day as Michael Vaughan's Test reign. He said he'd stepped down after feeling the captaincy was affecting his performances.
It means England will have new leaders in both forms of the game when the selectors make their announcement at Lord's on Monday. Collingwood took on the role last year against West Indies, after Vaughan resigned the one-day job, and his initial results were promising with series victories against India at home and Sri Lanka away.
However, England had a poor World Twenty20 and have suffered back-to-back series defeats against New Zealand. Collingwood also became embroiled in controversy against New Zealand when he insisted on appealing for Grant Elliott's run out at The Oval after he'd been knocked to the ground by Ryan Sidebottom. He later admitted his error, but following the match picked up a four-game suspension for a slow over-rate. Kevin Pietersen took over for the final ODI against New Zealand and is now favourite to become the new full-time captain, as well as lead in Tests.
"I've made the decision to step down as England's one-day captain as I want to give myself the best chance to perform for England and enjoy my cricket," Collingwood said. "Whilst I am humbled to have been given the opportunity to captain England's one-day side, I feel the captaincy diminished my ability to perform for England across all forms of the game. I feel the England captaincy impacted on my ability to enjoy my cricket and contribute to the team."
Collingwood returned to form in the Test arena with his 135 in the second innings at Edgbaston after being on the brink of losing his place. "I've always enjoyed representing my country at the highest level," he said, "and it has always been my ambition to play cricket, across all forms of the game, but I've found the extra workload of the captaincy to be very difficult.
"The last thing I want is for the captaincy to impact my performance and that of the team's which is why I've arrived at this decision after a huge amount of consideration. I will continue to make myself available to England for all forms of cricket and look forward to playing a significant role in England's future success."
Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, said: "Paul feels this is the best decision in terms of benefiting the England team and his contribution to the team, across all forms of the game.
"We are extremely grateful for the way in which Paul has led the England one-day side since his appointment last year. The team has made real progress under his leadership and he will continue to be a valuable member of the England set-up."
© Cricinfo