Andrew Strauss set to resign as England captain
Andrew Strauss is expected to quit as England Test captain today bringing to an end one of the most successful eras in English cricket.
Strauss’s resignation after three years in the job would also be the latest extraordinary twist in the Kevin Pietersen saga which has rocked England set-over the past two weeks.
Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, is due to hold a press conference at Lord’s at noon on Wednesday with Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, set to make a statement later this afternoon when he is expected to pay tribute to the England captain. The decision of Andy Flower, the England coach, to speak to the squad for an hour in the dressing room on Tuesday took on added significance with the news of the press conference.
Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, is the next man in line for the top job in English cricket and his appointment would unite the Test and 50-over leadership, the preferred option for the England management.
Strauss was non-committal about his future at the end of the Test series against South Africa when England lost their no 1 Test status.
He admitted to being drained by the job and the controversy caused by Pietersen’s axing. In the past he firmly rebuffed any questions over his future but at Lord’s admitted he needed time to think over his future despite saying he had the “desire” to carry on. He took a short break with his family after the Lord’s Test but was expected to return to cricket yesterday for Middlesex’s championship match at New Road against Worcestershire. But he was pulled out of the squad with the ECB citing the fact he needed more time to recover from the Test series against South Africa. It appeared a strange move with Strauss not due to play international cricket again until November’s tour to India.
It remains to be seen if Strauss, 35, will decide to play on as an opening batsman and continue a career which has seen him score 21 centuries in 100 Tests.
Before the start of this summer Strauss had been clear in his plan to retire after the back-to-back Ashes series next year. But England’s form in 2012 has been poor with six defeats in 11 Tests culminating in their series loss to South Africa, their first defeat at home for four years.
Strauss has also struggled with the bat for the past 12 months. He made two hundreds against the West Indies at the start of the summer, a run of form which appeared to put to bed doubts over his future, but against South Africa’s top-class attack he averaged just over 17.
He appeared to be diverted by the Pietersen saga in the run up to the final Test, a controversy which overshadowed the fact Strauss was playing in his 100th Test.
The relationship between the two broke down completely this summer with Strauss feeling betrayed by what he perceived to be a loss of trust.
“There has been a bit more of a broader issue about trust and mutual respect,” Strauss said. “That issue I am very keen to resolve but it is not going to be resolved overnight.”
Strauss was expected to hold face-to-face talks with Pietersen this week but so far the meeting has not taken place and may indeed not be necessary after Wednesday.
Strauss’s resignation would not necessarily ease the path back into the England fold for Pietersen. Flower will still require Pietersen to apologise, promise to change his behaviour and own up to the texts he sent to the South African side.
Strauss has been an excellent servant for English cricket and he will be remembered as a captain who led the team from the dark days of the fallout from the axing of Pietersen as captain and Peter Moores as coach in 2008 to winning Ashes series home and away. The peak of his career was the 3-1 series win in Australia, England’s first Ashes away win since 1986-87. That was followed by a 4-0 whitewash of India which took England to the top of the Test rankings for the first time. Strauss first captained England when he stood in for the injured Michael Vaughan in 2006 and led the team in 50 Tests winning 25.
Strauss would become the third captain to leave following defeats to South Africa, after Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan.
Andrew Strauss is expected to quit as England Test captain today bringing to an end one of the most successful eras in English cricket.
Strauss’s resignation after three years in the job would also be the latest extraordinary twist in the Kevin Pietersen saga which has rocked England set-over the past two weeks.
Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, is due to hold a press conference at Lord’s at noon on Wednesday with Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, set to make a statement later this afternoon when he is expected to pay tribute to the England captain. The decision of Andy Flower, the England coach, to speak to the squad for an hour in the dressing room on Tuesday took on added significance with the news of the press conference.
Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, is the next man in line for the top job in English cricket and his appointment would unite the Test and 50-over leadership, the preferred option for the England management.
Strauss was non-committal about his future at the end of the Test series against South Africa when England lost their no 1 Test status.
He admitted to being drained by the job and the controversy caused by Pietersen’s axing. In the past he firmly rebuffed any questions over his future but at Lord’s admitted he needed time to think over his future despite saying he had the “desire” to carry on. He took a short break with his family after the Lord’s Test but was expected to return to cricket yesterday for Middlesex’s championship match at New Road against Worcestershire. But he was pulled out of the squad with the ECB citing the fact he needed more time to recover from the Test series against South Africa. It appeared a strange move with Strauss not due to play international cricket again until November’s tour to India.
It remains to be seen if Strauss, 35, will decide to play on as an opening batsman and continue a career which has seen him score 21 centuries in 100 Tests.
Before the start of this summer Strauss had been clear in his plan to retire after the back-to-back Ashes series next year. But England’s form in 2012 has been poor with six defeats in 11 Tests culminating in their series loss to South Africa, their first defeat at home for four years.
Strauss has also struggled with the bat for the past 12 months. He made two hundreds against the West Indies at the start of the summer, a run of form which appeared to put to bed doubts over his future, but against South Africa’s top-class attack he averaged just over 17.
He appeared to be diverted by the Pietersen saga in the run up to the final Test, a controversy which overshadowed the fact Strauss was playing in his 100th Test.
The relationship between the two broke down completely this summer with Strauss feeling betrayed by what he perceived to be a loss of trust.
“There has been a bit more of a broader issue about trust and mutual respect,” Strauss said. “That issue I am very keen to resolve but it is not going to be resolved overnight.”
Strauss was expected to hold face-to-face talks with Pietersen this week but so far the meeting has not taken place and may indeed not be necessary after Wednesday.
Strauss’s resignation would not necessarily ease the path back into the England fold for Pietersen. Flower will still require Pietersen to apologise, promise to change his behaviour and own up to the texts he sent to the South African side.
Strauss has been an excellent servant for English cricket and he will be remembered as a captain who led the team from the dark days of the fallout from the axing of Pietersen as captain and Peter Moores as coach in 2008 to winning Ashes series home and away. The peak of his career was the 3-1 series win in Australia, England’s first Ashes away win since 1986-87. That was followed by a 4-0 whitewash of India which took England to the top of the Test rankings for the first time. Strauss first captained England when he stood in for the injured Michael Vaughan in 2006 and led the team in 50 Tests winning 25.
Strauss would become the third captain to leave following defeats to South Africa, after Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan.
From Cricket altogether apparently.
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