ECB to address Strauss and KP futures

Updated August 29, 2012 10:40:57

The England and Wales Cricket Board have called a press conference at Lord's at 9pm tonight (AEST), with speculation mounting that Andrew Strauss will resign as England captain.

Strauss, 35, was set to play for his county side Middlesex yesterday against Worcestershire following the Test series loss to South Africa but withdrew from the team on the morning of the match.

And a couple of hours after the England one-day side suffered an 80-run thrashing by the Proteas in Southampton this morning, the ECB announced that managing director Hugh Morris would be holding the press conference the following day.

Meanwhile ECB chairman Giles Clarke will give a separate media briefing at Derby at 11pm (AEST) on Wednesday.

That two of English cricket's most senior administrators have both decided to make previously unscheduled public statements on the same day suggests the future of both Strauss and Kevin Pietersen could be on the agenda.

Pietersen has been sidelined from England action since making 149 in the drawn second Test at Headingley after he admitted sending "provocative" texts to South African players.

Some of these were alleged to have been critical of Strauss, Pietersen's successor as England captain.

Strauss, in charge since 2009, saw England lose their number one ranked Test status to South Africa this month following a 2-0 defeat in a three-match series where the opening batsman struggled for runs.

The left-hander, asked recently if he would be in charge for the upcoming tour of India, replied: "It's probably hard to answer that after the week that's just gone by. It's been a tiring week.

"We all need to sit down - myself and (coach) Andy Flower in particular - and try and map out the way forward."

The ECB refused to say anything other than issue a brief statement giving the details of Morris and Clarke's respective news conferences.

Strauss, 35, has enjoyed modest returns with the bat in recent years and his 122 against the West Indies in May was his first Test century since November 2010.

He followed up with another century, his 21st and one shy of the England all-time record, at Trent Bridge but averaged just 17.83 in six innings against the South Africans.

If Strauss, who has led England to home and away Ashes series wins, was to resign from the Test captaincy he would be the third England skipper to be 'seen off' in as many tours of England by South Africa captain Graeme Smith.

Nasser Hussain resigned during the England-South Africa series in 2003, Smith's first series as Proteas skipper, with Michael Vaughan standing down five years later.

Smith, who made 52 against England in Tuesday's one-dayer, remains the Proteas' Test captain but the one-day side is now led by AB de Villiers.

While England were toiling against the Proteas scored 163 for Surrey against Somerset, illustrating once more the void he leaves in the England side.

With a number of leaks following his axing from the third Test, including most recently that he made derisory comments about debutant James Taylor during the Second Test, it remains to be seen whether he will be welcomed back into the side.

This is especially likely, if as now seems probable, his actions have contributed to the hugely popular Strauss - who led England to back-to-back Ashes triumphs and the number one Test ranking - ending his international career.

One-day skipper Alastair Cook will take over as Test skipper if Strauss does stand aside.

AFP/ABC

Tags: sport, cricket, england

First posted August 29, 2012 10:39:54

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Strauss announces retirement

Updated August 29, 2012 22:33:30

Andrew Strauss has resigned as England Test captain and announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.

The 35-year-old has brought down the curtain on a 101-Test career that saw him lead England to consecutive Ashes series victories after taking over the captaincy in 2009.

Strauss insists his retirement has nothing to do with the ongoing England exile of star batsman Kevin Pietersen.

"After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket," Strauss said in an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement issued ahead of a news conference at Lord's.

"It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.

"The driver to all this is I haven't batted well enough for a long time. I wasn't going to improve batting-wise, I've run my race.

"It's one of these decisions when you know when your time is up.

"It is important for a captain to not be a passenger and that people are not speculating whether you should be in the side."

Alastair Cook, already England's one-day captain and Strauss' opening partner in the five-day game, was announced as the new skipper of the Test team.

England dropped Pietersen, who has not played international cricket in any format since making 149 in the drawn second Test against South Africa at Headingley, after he admitted sending "provocative" texts to Proteas players.

Some of these were alleged to have been critical of Strauss, who succeeded South Africa-born Pietersen as England captain in 2009.

Strauss says he had spoken to England coach Andy Flower about retiring "before the Kevin Pietersen situation reared its head".

His last Test was a 51-run defeat by South Africa at Lord's, his Middlesex home ground where he made his Test debut in 2004, earlier this month that saw England surrender its number one Test ranking to the Proteas.

Strauss scored 21 hundreds - one shy of England's all-time record - and led his side to the top of the world Test rankings, a run that included home and away Ashes wins in 2009 and 2010/11.

Cook's first Test as captain will be the first of a four-match series in India in November.

The 27-year-old paid tribute to Strauss by saying: "Andrew's contribution to England cricket in recent years is evident to everyone who follows the sport but only those of us who have been lucky enough to share a dressing room with him are fully aware of his immense contribution to our success.

"He has been a fantastic captain, has led from the front for three-and-a-half years and is a true ambassador for the game.

"I know this can't have been an easy decision for him and everyone in the dressing room will be sad to see him go.

"I'm very excited by this new challenge, it is a huge honour to be appointed Test captain."

Strauss has enjoyed modest returns with the bat in recent years and his 122 against West Indies in May was his first Test century since November 2010.

He followed up with another century, at Trent Bridge, but averaged just 17.83 in six innings against the Proteas.

England's form in 2012 has been poor, with six defeats in 11 Tests culminating in a 2-0 series loss to the Proteas, its first home reverse in four years.

AFP

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First posted August 29, 2012 21:06:58

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Strauss' return to form continues

Updated May 27, 2012 07:25:06

England captain Andrew Strauss was determined to post an even bigger score after his unbeaten century saw the hosts reduce West Indies' first innings lead in the second Test at Trent Bridge.

Strauss was 102 not out at the close of Saturday's second day, with England 2 for 259 in reply to West Indies' first innings 370 - a deficit of 111 runs.

This was the 35-year-old left-handed opener's second hundred in as many matches after he ended an 18-month wait spanning 25 innings for a Test century with 122 in the five-wicket series opening win at Lord's.

On a beautiful batting pitch, and against a modest Windies attack, Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, 72 not out at stumps, added an unbroken 136 for the third wicket as England looked to go an unbeatable 2-0 up in this three-match series.

Strauss, asked to explain his recent form, said: "I suppose to a degree it's confidence but it's a strange game -- sometimes batting feels difficult, with a few runs under your belt it's easier.

"I'm delighted to be in form and determined to make the most of it. You can never look too far ahead. I'll focus on getting myself back in the morning - that's a big enough challenge for me."

A curious fact of Strauss's Test career is that he's never added more than six runs when not out overnight on a hundred - at Lord's it was just one run.

And with England still some way off a first innings lead, Strauss joked he might have to change his routine if he was to keep on batting on Sunday.

"It's nice to feel back in form and as a captain it's great to contribute and lead from the front," said Strauss, playing his 96th Test. "I've never got blindly drunk the night before so maybe that's an option.

"There's no reason why you can't (kick on the next day), that will be an opportunity for me tomorrow (Sunday)," explained Strauss, whose Test-best score remains the 177 he made against New Zealand in Napier in 2008.

Strauss's 21st Test century left him just one short of the England record of 22 held jointly by Walter Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott.

However, Strauss played down his achievement by saying: "It's a different game to those days, we play more cricket.

"You only have to look at Sachin Tendulkar to realise 21 is not that many (the India great has 51 Test hundreds). But it's still nice to get them."

Saturday proved a memorable day too for West Indies captain Darren Sammy as he completed a maiden Test century after being 88 not out overnight.

The all-rounder's place in the side has been repeatedly called into question, most recently by West Indies great Michael Holding, and a delighted Sammy said: "I'm playing against the number one team in the world and everybody wants to perform against the best.

"To do that (score a hundred) in this Test match with the bat, it feels good for somebody like me who has been under pressure from day one."

Sammy, whose 15 wicketless overs of medium-pace on Saturday cost 69 runs, helped rescue West Indies from the depths of 6 for 136.

Together with Marlon Samuels, who made 117, he shared a seventh-wicket stand of 204.

But neither Samuels, who only added 10 runs to his overnight score, nor Sammy lingered long after getting to a hundred.

"We're quite disappointed me and Marlon couldn't continue because we knew how flat the wicket was, as we saw when we bowled," said Sammy.

"We both should have carried on to get a bigger total for the team."

AFP

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First posted May 27, 2012 07:23:54

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Relieved Strauss relishes special hundred

Updated May 19, 2012 15:35:42

England captain Andrew Strauss described a feeling of release after ending an 18-month wait for a century with a polished and unbeaten 121 in the first Test against West Indies at Lord's.

The left-handed opener hugged partner Kevin Pietersen and held his bat aloft to all corners of the ground after making his 20th Test hundred to put his side in control of the match at 3 for 259 at stumps on day two.

"Having not scored a hundred for a while there was a bit of pressure to get there," he told a news conference.

"The last 15 runs were hard work mentally.

"It was a great release to get to three figures and a very special moment, definitely one of my most special centuries."

Strauss displayed great concentration throughout his innings but also played some trademark attacking strokes, hitting 19 fours with fluent drives through the covers, fierce cuts and neat strokes off his legs.

He needed a stroke of luck on 95 when he was dropped in the slips off a Fidel Edwards no ball and his relief was evident when he cut Darren Sammy to the third man boundary to reach his century.

"It's at moments like that you think perhaps someone up there is looking after you today," Strauss said.

"We've all come through tough times in our careers but it makes you stronger."

Strauss's innings lifted England to a lead of 16 runs with seven wickets remaining after West Indies were bowled out for 243 in their first innings.

England fast bowler Stuart Broad struck with the first ball of the day to remove Shannon Gabriel for a golden duck and complete Test-best figures of 7 for 72.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was left stranded at the other end, 13 runs short of his 26th Test century after another brave attempt to hold together the West Indies brittle batting order.

Strauss and Alastair Cook shared an untroubled opening partnership of 47 before the latter, on 26, tried to pull a short ball from Kemar Roach and dragged it on to his stumps.

Strauss and Jonathan Trott took England to 1 for 80 for at lunch and the pair continued to accumulate cautiously in the afternoon session, both reaching fifty.

West Indies captain Sammy rotated his four-man pace attack but Fidel Edwards, Roach, Gabriel and Sammy failed to extract much life from a placid pitch.

Trott was out for 58 just before Strauss reached his century, the right-hander nicking a sharp catch to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off the persevering Sammy to end a second-wicket partnership of 147.

Pietersen showed positive intent from the start of his knock of 32 as England looked to push on.

He got off the mark with a fierce pull through mid-wicket and struck five boundaries with typically flamboyant strokes before feathering a catch to Ramdin off part-time spinner Marlon Samuels.

Ian Bell joined his captain for the last few overs and was unbeaten on 5 at the close.

"It's important we establish a big first-innings lead and go on to win the game," Strauss said. "I've still got to do my job as captain.

"It's quite an easy-paced wicket and I thought our bowlers did an outstanding job to bowl out the West Indies in a day but we don't want to look too far ahead."

Reuters

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First posted May 19, 2012 07:59:59

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Time to forget Pakistan scandals, says Strauss

Updated January 03, 2012 09:14:47

England must forget the scandals that have plagued recent series with Pakistan when the two teams face off in the United Arab Emirates later this month, captain Andrew Strauss said on Monday.

Three visiting players were jailed two months ago for their part in a spot-fixing scandal in the Test series in England in 2010, and the corresponding series four years earlier also ended with Pakistan refusing to play on in one Test.

When umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove penalised the Pakistan team for ball-tampering, skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to bring his players on to the field and the Test was forfeited, the first incident of its kind.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) adjudicator later cleared Pakistan of ball-tampering charges but banned Inzamam for misconduct.

"There is a perception there are always issues between Pakistan and England and we should see this as an opportunity to eradicate that perception," captain Strauss told reporters as his world-number-one side prepared to fly out from Heathrow airport.

"There is no reason why that should be the case and, as I said, if we both approach it in the right spirit it should be good for relations between both teams and for world cricket."

Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed in November for their involvement in a plot to bowl no-balls at pre-arranged times in the 2010 series.

"I think the spot-fixing stuff is something we are desperately keen to move on from. No good can come from churning it all up again and it's time to concentrate on the cricket," said Strauss.

"I'm certainly excited about playing in what are going to be fairly alien conditions to what we are used to and that is going to be a good challenge against some good cricketers. That is plenty to worry about without thinking of anything else."

The series is being held on neutral territory due to security concerns in Pakistan. The country has not been allowed to host international matches since the 2009 gun attack on the touring Sri Lanka team in Lahore.

England and Pakistan lock horns in Dubai for the first Test on January 17. They will then contest a further two Tests, four one-day matches and three Twenty20 fixtures.

Reuters

Tags: cricket, sport, united-arab-emirates, england, pakistan

First posted January 03, 2012 09:14:47

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