Now Andrew Strauss finally has his wish, but he could not have taken over at a more difficult time for English cricket. Strauss, 31, stepped into the hottest job in the game but his admission that he had to think ‘very carefully’ before taking on a challenge he has always craved spoke volumes for the dire mess England find themselves in. The circumstances of Strauss’s promotion to the captaincy have been far from perfect but, third time lucky perhaps, he has been dealt a good hand with the chance to reunite a dressing room subdued as much by poor results as by any disharmony. And neither does he have a big-name or big-personality coach for the time being at least, breathing down his neck.

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Andrew Strauss, ironically, has the sort of power and persuasion that Kevin Pietersen seemingly craved. He was desperately unlucky not to captain England in the last Ashes series and was extremely disappointed to be overlooked for the job in favour of Kevin Pietersen when Michael Vaughan decided to step down. The coming year is also Strauss’s benefit year, which, in normal circumstances, can be an energy-sapping distraction, let alone when you are England captain. Strauss will raise money for two charities and his retirement fund. One of his chosen charities is the Primary Club, the cricket charity that raises money for the blind and partially sighted. Membership of the Primary Club is open to anyone who has been out first ball at any level of cricket – England supporters will hope that is not an omen for the new captain. There was no Geoff Miller, the national selector, by his side as Pietersen had when he was unveiled as captain just five months ago.

And Hugh Morris, who has been in the thick of the action which resulted in the dismissal of England’s captain and coach Peter Moores on the same day, introduced the new man at Lord’s then quickly exited to avoid fielding questions. Yet, if Strauss felt isolated in front of the assembled media he was not showing it. The desire of Miller to have one captain for all forms of cricket was a big factor in Pietersen being chosen over Strauss for the captaincy five months ago, when Vaughan and Paul Collingwood stepped down as Test and one-day captains respectively. Miller will either have to go back on that or find a new one-day leader from a field lacking viable candidates.

England could go back to Collingwood but in reality he had been exposed as a poor captain well before his terrible misjudgment in failing to call back New Zealand’s Grant Elliott after the run-out controversy when the Kiwi collided with Ryan Sidebottom at The Oval last summer. That, in effect, leaves the selectors having to go outside the England ‘bubble’ and appoint a one-day leader such as the highly respected Rob Key of Kent, or simply telling Strauss to get his blue clothes and pads out of the wardrobe. Whatever, it will be fascinating to monitor developments as England move towards the Ashes.

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Posted on January 23rd, 2009 by Trix
Filed under: Uncategorized