It's an unfortunate fact that the reigns of captains and managers, however impressive, rarely end well.

Michael Vaughan has cut a dejected figure for some time now. The cracks visibly widened at Headingley after his ill-advised comments about Darren Pattinson's inclusion, but that was only the first surface evidence of doubts that had gathered for some time.

Captaining England is a bloody hard job, and eventually it grinds you down.

It'd be a real shame if people remember how it ended. Certainly, Duncan Fletcher is not given the credit he deserves after his acrimonious departure.

Because Vaughan's record as captain stands up to high scrutiny. Twenty-six wins in 51 Tests put him way out at the top of the England captains' list; it'll be a long time before anyone matches him.

Before Saturday he had never lost back-to-back Tests, and the way his side fought back at Edgbaston after the horrors of Headingley and a bad start in Birmingham showed the players were still fighting hard for their under-fire skipper.

Under Vaughan's stewardship, England won a record-breaking eight successive Test matches in 2004, picked up series wins in the Caribbean and South Africa for the first time in generations and, following on from Nasser Hussain's groundwork, gave us a team we could be proud of.

And then, of course, there was 2005. Ah yes. Whatever else happens, we'll always have that magical summer.

Quite frankly, Vaughan deserves the love and respect of every Englishman for evermore purely for keeping a deep point when Australia needed four to win at Edgbaston.

And Vaughan's absence through injury has often been felt as keenly as his presence; it's hard to believe England would have gone down 5-0 in Australia with their skipper in the side.

Much has been made of the obvious similarities between Vaughan's departure and Nasser Hussain's five years earlier.

Both men had been ground down by the role - Vaughan spoke on Sunday of his fear of becoming a "cynical old man" - and both came to the same conclusion that it was time to move on in the middle of difficult series against South Africa.

The key difference is the fact Hussain's decision was assisted by the very obvious presence of his successor.

Both Hussain and Fletcher had long earmarked Vaughan as the heir apparent. Their judgement proved shrewd, and Vaughan's impressive start as one-day skipper hastened his elevation to the top role.

This time, it's less clear-cut. The one-day skipper, Paul Collingwood, has enough problems to worry about with his own game and has wisely decided - or been convinced - to relinquish his own leadership responsibilities.

When the one-day job became available last year, I fought for Kevin Pietersen to be given a chance to lead.

Collingwood got the gig, but I've not changed my mind.

There is no really obvious Vaughan-style successor in the current set-up- as seen by the number of otherwise apparently sane people suggesting Rob Key - and Pietersen's cricketing nous is often harshly overlooked.

The switch-hit is the most obvious example of his innovative thinking, but there is much about his batting to suggest a keen mind.

Pietersen is the one England cricketer utterly assured of his place in the team regardless of format, and should make an effective and inventive captain.

It's not without its risks. Making the star player captain hasn't always worked for India and West Indies, while there's always the danger of impeding the batting.

Certainly, Vaughan's instinctive and sumptuous strokeplay has been dulled by the rigours of captaincy. It would be a disaster if the captaincy prevented Pietersen playing with his natural freedom and unorthodoxy.

But such is KP's apparently unshakeable self-belief, it seems unlikely to faze him. Pietersen is the exciting option, the aggressive option and the right option. He's the man to lead England into Ashes combat. And he's certainly not shy about dealing with the media, either.

But that should really be a discussion for another day.

Today should be about England fans thanking Vaughan for all the good times he's brought us over the years.

Thanks for everything, Vaughany. You've provided some of my greatest sporting memories and, as your dad so rightly said, you can walk away a proud lad.