Michael Vaughan stepped down as captain of England’s one-day side on this day 15 years ago.
The announcement came just a couple of months after England’s poor World Cup performance, which saw them crash out at the group stage after a fifth-placed finish in the Super 8 round.
Vaughan’s position as captain came under increasing pressure due to his below-par performances, averaging 27.15 and failing to record a century, with a top ODI score of 90 not out.
The Yorkshire batter had taken the role of skipper in 2003 but did not think having different captains for different formats was the way forward.
Vaughan said in a statement: “Since our disappointing performances in the World Cup, I have been giving careful consideration as to what is the best way forward for the England one-day team and my own role within the side.
“I reached this decision some time ago, but I did not want to announce it until after the end of this Test series (against the West Indies) to avoid it becoming a distraction to the team. However, due to intense speculation in the media about my future, I feel it is important to make my intentions clear now.
“Our priority is to build a one-day squad able to compete strongly at the next World Cup and I firmly believe that the interests of the team will be best served if I step down and allow another player to gain additional experience of captaincy in the one-day international arena.
“I will continue to play one-day cricket for Yorkshire and it is not my intention to retire from one-day international cricket as a player. I do, however, fully appreciate that the new captain will need a period of time to establish his own authority over the team.”
Durham all-rounder Paul Collingwood was later chosen as his replacement.
