South Africa v England series claims another captaincy career...
Monday 11 January 2016 14:37, UK
What do Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and now Hashim Amla all have in common?
They have all resigned as Test captain of their country during or after a South Africa versus England Test series.
Amla's exit after the drawn second Test in Cape Town is the first time South Africa have fallen foul of the curse that, until then, seemed confined to only England captains...
Nasser first to fall
Sky Sports' Hussain endured a torrid 2003, so it's no wonder he was the first England captain to fall when South Africa toured that summer. He got that toss wrong at Brisbane - admittedly in late 2002 - as England slipped to another Ashes defeat in Australia, and was "kept awake at night" over the decision of whether or not to play Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup for political and security reasons. Eventually, England opted against the trip to Harare, and with those points forfeited, suffered a group-stage exit in South Africa.
Hussain gave up the one-day captaincy but was still in charge of the Test side for the visit of the Proteas that summer, who themselves had a fresh-faced 22-year-old set to captain the side for only the third time. Graeme Smith had taken over from Shaun Pollock after South Africa suffered an embarrassing World Cup exit of their own. Nobody knew much of Smith, including Hussain, who supposedly called him 'What's-his-name' and 'Greg', but 277 runs later at Edgbaston - the first of two double-tons in the drawn series - Hussain was well aware of who he was.
It was enough to see him relinquish the Test captaincy, and within a year he bowed out from cricket entirely, scoring a hundred - and running out Andrew Strauss, denying him back-to-back tons on Test debut - against New Zealand in his final Test, the team who he suffered his first series defeat to as captain in 1999. Booed by fans at The Oval after that inauspicious start, Hussain had his own redemption.
What he said: "I found myself out there thinking that I wasn't quite the captain England needed or wanted. I feel it's coming to a change of era in the England cricket team and Michael Vaughan has shown over the past few months he's a very capable leader and that's what I've been waiting for, for someone to hold their hand up. I think there are some young lads in there that will play under him and I think the last thing they want is a tired leader.
"I've always said captaining England is not just a job, but a very, very important one, so it's not one you just carry on doing and just take the cash. It's something I've felt needed to be done 100 per cent full-on and I just think it's time for a change. There are only so many times you can go to the well in terms deep for the team."
Teary-eyed Vaughan leaves
Vaughan will be remembered most for masterminding England's famous Ashes win in 2005, their first for 18 years. But his entire portfolio as England captain makes for impressive reading, with his 51 Tests as captain only bettered by the 54 overseen by Michael Atherton, while his 26 wins are the highest by any England captain, still.
But Vaughan, plagued by injury, managed to lead England on to the field in only half of the 34 Tests that followed that triumph before the visit of the Proteas in 2008, and once again it was a Smith-led South Africa who put paid to another England captain. Vaughan managed only 40 runs across five innings in the first three Tests, while Smith's 154 as the visitors chased down 281 at Edgbaston secured a first series win on English soil in 43 years.
An emotional Vaughan decided it was time to step aside, and Kevin Pietersen - yes, Pietersen - was named England captain for the final dead rubber Test at The Oval. He'd score a hundred as England secured a comfortable six-wicket win, but his captaincy would end acrimoniously a mere five months later having fallen out with coach Peter Moores. Vaughan, meanwhile, much like Hussain, was out of cricket entirely within a year, although he sadly never got another opportunity to play for England.
What he said: "I've put my heart and soul into the job but my head is telling me to pack it in. It is a fairytale to captain your country, but it hasn't had a fairytale ending. I know that it is the right time because my mind told me it was. My body is working well, but my mind is not.
"I've tried to be me throughout the whole period as captain. One of the things that has really hurt me in the last six months is that I haven't been me. There have been people who I have talked to, but once your mind is made up, it is hard to go back. I've always gone on my gut instinct - I've played my best innings on gut instinct - and this was the right time. When I spoke to my dad this morning, he said, 'You can walk away a proud lad'. So I really want to thank my mum and dad.
"It came as a huge surprise for the players. The one regret is that I didn't stand in front of them yesterday. They were completely gutted in the dressing room and I didn't have it in me. I hope they respect my decision. I wish whoever gets the job all the luck in the world; it's a great privilege."
Strauss has enough
That man Pietersen would have a part to play in the departure of Strauss as England captain, although Strauss himself denied it. Pietersen posted one of his classiest centuries for England in the drawn second Test at Headingley but suggested the third and final Test of the series could be his last, while allegations were made that he sent defamatory text messages about some of his team-mates to members of the South African dressing room during the series.
It overshadowed the build-up to the series-decider at Lord's - with England's number one Test ranking on the line - and a personal milestone for Strauss, his 100th Test for England on his home ground. England succumbed to a 51-run defeat and a deflated Strauss quit as captain with South Africa celebrating dethroning England as the best side in the world.
Smith had another victim, a third straight in overseas trips to England, although Strauss' exit came post-series rather than during, and he bowed out of all forms of cricket there and then. He moved first into the Sky Sports commentary box, before accepting the role of England's new Director of Cricket last year, where once again he had to talk about Kevin.
What he said: "I think I have run my race. I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket's greatest moments have occurred. I have loved every minute of it.
"It hasn't been something that occurred overnight. It has built over a few months. I would like to go out on my own terms with my head held high and I think this is the right time. I first spoke to Andy Flower about it prior to the Kevin Pietersen incident rearing its head. It just hasn't been a consideration.
"I would love to stay involved in the game; I'm hugely passionate about the game; I feel like I've got more to offer the game at some stage in the future, but in what capacity, I've got no idea.
Amla bows out on a high
Unlike the exits above, Amla's decision came after the high of scoring a double-hundred and almost guiding his team to one of the most sensational wins in Test history in the second Test, but the decision still wasn't all too surprising, as the South African skipper had looked lost during defeat in Durban the week before, when in the midst of a woeful run of form with the bat.
There were further puzzling moves in the field as Ben Stokes smashed a 198-ball 258 on the second day in Cape Town, before an England-assisted innings of 201 - they dropped Amla four times - helped earn his side the ascendancy by the fifth day, where South Africa set about skittling England cheaply to give them a gettable run-chase.
Ultimately, it was too little too late for South Africa, as bad light ended their hopes of a series-leveling win, and for Amla, as his mind was already made up that the captaincy was no longer for him. AB de Villiers takes over and we eagerly await the final two Tests of the series to see if it proves to be the right decision.
What he said: "This decision was not an easy one to make but I felt I needed to be true to myself, having done a personal introspection. I'm comfortable with the decision, knowing I've given my best at all times and will continue to do so. However, I feel there is a greater need to work on my own game, thus giving me the opportunity to continue contributing like I have done previously.
"I was deeply honoured when the position was offered to me, as this is the pinnacle for any sportsman. I'm extremely grateful to have had the privilege of captaining this wonderful team."
Coverage of the third Test between South Africa and England from Johannesburg begins at 8am on Thursday 14th January, Sky Sports 2. Or watch without a contract on NOW TV.
