It it with great sadness that Michael Vaughan today resigned as the England cricket captain. He's had a bad run of form this year, and losing the current series 2 - 0 to South Africa has made up his mind - it's time to go. Personally I think he should have waited until next week's final test match has finished, but he is clearly in a state of mental disarray, and it would be wrong of him to continue playing if he felt unable to perform or to lead the team.
Vaughan carried on the good work where Nasser Hussain left off in 2003 - adding some genuine fighting spirit and pride to an historically erratic and ineffective England team. There have been ups and downs, but his finest moment was recapturing the Ashes in the summer of 2005. That will live on as one of the finest Test series ever played, a truly inspiring performance from a very happy and committed team. Wonderful stuff. For that, I thank Michael Vaughan from the bottom of my heart.
On to the subject of his replacement - who should lead the team? Kevin Pietersen is being tipped as the obvious choice, but personally I wouldn't choose him, purely because he has no captaincy experience at any level. Being a world-conquering batsman is one thing, but grasping the nuances of the game and knowing how to handle individual players is a rare gift, and there's no evidence so far that he possesses it. My greatest fear is that Pietersen will gain the captaincy, and that it will slowly destroy his confidence, and with it his batting ability.
For my money, Chris Read is the man to take over from Vaughan. He is a truly gritty and determined cricketer, and arguably the finest wicket-keeper in the world. Currently in charge of Nottinghamshire, who he had lead to the top of Division 1 in the county championship, he would solve the keeping option, AND the captaincy option, while adding his services as a steady and often attacking batsman.
All will be revealed tomorrow.... watch this space.
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