It had to come yet again when Graeme Smith had made a valuable century for his team against England. Nasser Hussain handed the captaincy to Michael Vaughan overnight and now England have both captains, Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood, quitting cold turkey after last night’s phenomenal knock from Smith that gave South Africa its first series victory in England since 1965. Is the crown becoming too heavy to wear?
Ironically Nasser Hussain stepped down in the midst of the Test series against South Africa in 2003 when Smith was thundering double century. Ironically it was at Headingley that Hussain’s nerve finally gave way. Now, it has happened again. Headingley proved the decisive point of the series when South Africa did not give England an inch and edged ahead in the series. Now after the events of the match that saw South Africa fought from the brink and brought about history making, absorbing cricket that makes Test cricket truly heroic, comes another blow.
In the aftermath, Vaughan made his decision to step down clear as did Collingwood. Incidentally both factored in the lack of runs as the reason to relinquish the most coveted position in the game. While Vaughan felt that his captaincy was just as sharp, he called for his own lack of form and runs that could have proved so valuable for England. Vaughan who was the toast of the town during the 1999 World Cup in England when everyone was talking of him as the upcoming player for England. His captaincy brought a breath of fresh air after Hussain suffered a major lapse that saw him quit abruptly. Now he finds himself in the same mood as his predecessor and one wondered how much longer Vaughan can stay in the team with this woeful amount of runs unless he can play one innings of note in the final Test.
Collingwood attributed his decision to the fact that he was no longer enjoying the game. He obviously did not enjoy being dropped from the Test at Headingley and seemingly without valid reason being brought back into the team at Edgbaston. He has proved he is worthy of continuing to playing in Tests. But the thrill factor has apparently gone out with the constant scrutiny about him and the recent blow knocking him into a bewildered stupor.
Talk is rife that given Kevin Pietersen’s present state of mind, he may be the best man for the job at this late hour. However, his aggression cold work both ways. Ironically for a team that has looked almost indifferent irrespective of the results and have not been able to revive their high of regaining the Ashes in 2005, aggression is perhaps what they need most to wake them up from the dullness and jaded look they have about them.
In an ideal scenario, the ECB would have perhaps preferred to have Andrew Flintoff over Pietersen. But Flintoff himself is woefully short on runs. His fiery spell certainly had the match swinging wildly and almost handed England a chance for squaring the series. But at a time when he is still trying to find his feet into the team after a spate of injuries that have kept him out for more than six months, none other than Pietersen appears desirable in looking to the years ahead.
But Pietersen’s aggressive approach may also backfire. The team’s wherewithal to handle fire, let alone give it back, is in serious contention. At a time like this, Pietersen, with the South African mentality to fight back hard (though he may well deny it), may prove too hot to handle himself.
These are certainly days to watch. It is a wonder though how many people are actually worried about the fate of England cricket just like when Chris Gayle deciding to step down barely raised eyebrows given that the West Indies cricket has become a chronic case of turbulence in recent times. Yet again the fate of the England team has been shaken by the change of guard. Yet again it stands on the brink, hoping the next change will bring about a change in fortunes and restore some pride to the once Mecca of the cricket world.