A new dawn for English Cricket..

As one era ends, another begins.

After leading with integrity and drive throughout his tenure, a tearful Michael Vaughan resigned as England captain on Sunday, admitting that things had quite simply taken their toll.

Vaughan had put his heart and soul into it for five years, but the job had consumed him for too long. He can leave with his head held high as the most successful England captain of all time, and will always be held in high regard. He will no doubt be remembered for the fantastic Ashes win of 2005, among other achievements.

It was, however, time to go.

Clearly Vaughan was struggling for form and confidence, and as captain, this rubs off on the rest of the team. How can players take advice and follow orders from a player who is unable to perform himself? It undermines everything. The burden had become too much for Vaughan, so he quit with dignity, rather than prolonging the agony.

Tactically, he was astute as they come, and as a man, he was a class act. But most of all, he had respect. He will be missed. Hopefully he can rekindle the form that made him so feared as a batsman in 2003, when he was ranked as the best in the world.

But was the appointment of Kevin Pietersen a good one? Probably not, in my eyes.

The demands of the captiancy could well restrict Pietersen, who is undoubtedbly at his best when unshackled and free. And does Pietersen have the temperament to lead? Has he any experience in leading? The appointment of Pietersen is definately a gamble, a gamble that certainly proved to be disastarous when Andrew Flintoff was given the role, with whom the pressures of the job became too much.

My personal preference would have been Andrew Strauss, who captained the side against Pakistan two summers ago and did himself no harm at all. With his maturity and experience, Strauss looked the ideal choice for many - apart from the ECB themselves.

Captaining England could make or break Kevin Pietersen. Let's hope it doesnt all end in tears, though if Sunday is anything to go by, it almost certainly will.