Vaughan

LOUGHBOROUGH, England (AP):

Michael Vaughan stepped down as England's Test cricket captain yesterday, following a string of poor individual and team performances.

Vaughan announced his decision at a news conference just a day after England lost the third Test in four days against South Africa at Edgbaston, giving the tourists an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

England won 26 of 51 Tests under Vaughan's captaincy.

Chance for new players

Immediately after the announcement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Paul Collingwood had also decided to step down as England one-day captain, clearing the way for a new player to lead both teams.

Collingwood, who took over from Vaughan as one-day captain, said his own playing performances had suffered because of the added responsibility.

"I've always enjoyed representing my country at the highest level 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," Collingwood said.

"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."

Collingwood has a one-day international average of 35.33 from 145 matches.

The ECB said it would announce the new captain today, with British media naming Kevin Pietersen as the likely choice.

Vaughan struggled with his batting throughout the South Africa series, totalling just 40 runs in five innings, and was harshly criticised in British media after Saturday's five-wicket defeat. After holding the captaincy for five years, Vaughan said his "mind hasn't been as fresh" lately and that it was time for a break.

He said he will not play in the final Test at The Oval, but that he hopes to return as a batsman for England for several more years.

Vaughan has an impressive Test average of 41.44 from 82 matches.

"I wish my mind were fresher and I wish I could've taken it on another year," Vaughan said. "But I've had five unbelievable years. ... It's just the right time, I feel, to move forward with a new captain, a new direction."