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Vaughan quits England captaincy

03/08/2008

Michael Vaughan has called time on his five-year reign as England captain.

An emotional Vaughan broke down in front of the cameras as he announced his intention to step down at a surprise press conference at Loughborough.

Moments later the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Paul Collingwood would also be stepping down as captain of the one-day international side.

The decision comes after South Africa won a Test series in England for the first time in four decades following yesterday's win at Edgbaston.

Cricket sources had earlier speculated Vaughan was preparing to step down as captain after a disappointing run with the bat.

The Yorkshireman scored just 40 runs during the South Africa series, which the tourists won last night after setting up an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Addressing journalists at the hastily-assembled press conference, Vaughan began by announcing his decision, which he said was the "easiest and the hardest" of his life.

"I've given away the job I've loved for five years, which I've put my heart and soul into.

"But my mind has told me to pack it in, my career could come to an abrupt end if I didn't."

Vaughan explained he hoped the decision would help to prolong his career and that he planned to take a break of several weeks from the game, ruling himself out of the final South African Test at the Oval.

He said it had been an honour to captain his country and paid tribute to the players, who he described as "good blokes", fans and selectors.

He then broke down in tears as he thanked his family.

"I spoke to my dad today and he said 'You can walk away a proud lad, you've given it everything and that's all I've ever asked you to do'."

Vaughan added that he hoped to play with England as a batsman in the future once a full-time successor was chosen.

Kevin Pietersen or revived one-day international captain Paul Collingwood are the favourites to succeed Vaughan.

The 33-year-old won more Tests than any other England captain in history, with the 2005 Ashes series victory the pinnacle of his achievements.

But a career-threatening knee injury followed, leading to three successive Test series defeats against top class opposition.