Kevin Pietersen Confirmed as England New Captain after Vaughn

England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed dynamic batsman Kevin Pietersen as new England captain after the retirement of Michael Vaughn, on Tuesday, 5th August, 2008 at Lords. Pietersen will also take captaincy from Paul Collingwood in ODI's after Collingwood steps down.

The 28 years old middle order batsman was considered the best person to lead the team in both form of cricket following the shock resignation of Vaughan and Paul Collingwood as England's Test and one-day captains.

Michael Vaughn scored only 40 runs in 3 test matches in the current series against South Africa, which England already lost by 2-0 as 1 more test to go. Vaughn will not play 4th test match starting from Thursday, 7th August, 2008 at at Kennington Oval, London. Vaughn was the most successful captain of England with 26 wins in five years.

Pietersen said: "I am very thrilled and excited to have been given the opportunity to captain England. It's a huge honor for me and a terrific challenge for me at this stage of my international career."