It was a well-deserved triumph as South Africa celebrated their first series win in England, thanks to a captain’s innings by Graeme Smith. The tall left-hander powered through the home defence with an unbeaten 154 to condemn Michael Vaughan's men to a five-wicket defeat.

As the Proteas skipper bathed in the light of his team’s achievement, England suffered the loss of Test captain Vaughan and one-day skipper Paul Collingwood. Can their replacement, and I dare say third preferred captain, Kevin Pietersen lead England to success?

Smith’s rise as a captain is well documented, from his start in 2003 after the World Cup fiasco until now. It hasn’t been a smooth ride but he can hold his head up high as the most successful South African Test captain - with a strong ODI record to boot.

Leading from the front was always been his main priority, not just when he opens the batting for his country but with his burly presence on the field. You can always hear him marshalling his troops from first slip.

With the sudden resignation of Vaughan and Collingwood, the ECB have elected Pietersen as their successor. This could just be a ploy for the upcoming one-day series against the Proteas. What would gee the English up more than seeing the lost South African son captain a team against his former nation? Not to mention the internal battle of Pietersen against Smith, knowing that they will both bring their 'A' game to show each other up.

A little rivalry is a good thing, but I think this could just be a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The first catch taken by Smith to remove Pietersen, or vice versa, could cause a massive angry outburst, pushing the friendly gamesmanship into disrepute. Do England really want a grudge captain?

I would have rather seen Freddie Flintoff step in as the new skipper. He might get just as wired at the sight of Jacques Kallis, but he shows a better overall knowledge and temperament for the game. I would class him in the Shaun Pollock mould of leader. He can take up the bowling when his team needs him, taking crucial wickets at the start on the innings or at the death. Also, he is a great finisher with the bat yet can also steady the ship when required.

Let's put aside the last Ashes when Flintoff managed to lead England to a 5-0 defeat - so did so many other English captains before that.

With the series won, the final Test will be played for pride. Can England win at the Oval without Vaughan, who has made himself unavailable to play? Not that England will miss his huge contributions with the bat of late - but he always did have a calming presence on the team. Pietersen won’t have the same effect - he is easily flustered and this isn’t a good captaincy quality. He tends to be a one-man show, which could be detrimental to England on and off the field.

With Vaughan’s omission from the side, the England selectors will have to make some big changes to fill the gap at No.3 and have selected a fairly inexperienced Ravi Bopara to step in for the final Test.

In the long run, Vaughan - England’s most successful Test captain with 26 wins - needs to work on his technique and build some confidence. The same goes for Collingwood; even with his well-fought ton in the last Test, he is still scratching at the wide ball outside off stump. That's a good thing for South Africa, but you have to play the best to beat the best.

Captain Smith vs. Captain Pietersen - the Oval Test could be fascinating to watch. After all, this is South Africa’s warm-up for the Aussies!