England's selectors will end 24 hours of frenzied speculation by revealing the identity of their new captain later on Monday.

Less than 24 hours after their interest in the four-match npower Test series was ended with a five-wicket defeat in the third Test at Edgbaston by South Africa, England's selectors also had to find a new captain for their Test and one-day teams.

Michael Vaughan, England's most successful Test captain with 26 victories, ended his five-year reign with an emotional press conference at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough.

He was swiftly followed by Paul Collingwood bringing his brief term as one-day leader to an end, leaving the selectors pondering alternatives to take England into the final Test and the one-day internationals against South Africa.

During a lengthy meeting on Sunday they considered several candidates with Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Rob Key featuring in their discussions, but they are expected to opt for Kevin Pietersen because he is an established member of both Test and limited-overs sides.

"I think there are characters in the dressing room who can do both roles," said Collingwood. "It's not a decision I have to make, thankfully, but someone will want to do it.

"There will be a person in that dressing room who will want to do it, take on the challenge and that's what you want. There's no point in taking on these roles if you don't want to do it but there will be someone in there who will stand up for it.

"In an ideal world we've always said that you should have one captain and I'm sure they'll make the decision who will captain from now on.

"The one positive from all this is that hopefully they can get one captain who does both forms of the game and that would be the best for everyone."

The recent decision to split the captaincy between Vaughan and Collingwood only worked because the pair were close friends, as neither encroached on the other's territory.

But the selectors do not believe it is the formula for long-term success at either Test or one-day level and are instead likely to go for one player to lead all teams.

"I thought the split captaincy wouldn't work but it has in the way that we've had me and Paul Collingwood," admitted Vaughan. "Results might not suggest that, but in the dressing room it has worked.

"In an ideal world I think one captain is the best for the team, one voice doing all forms of the game. That was when I was at my best because you're with the players all the time and you can really form a great bond.

"I'd already created that bond, but I think it would help the new guy if he did all forms of the game."