Will Strauss continue as skipper?

Can see him having a horrible time in India if they do what they've threatened to and prepare
big turning pitches. They could well open the bowling with Ashwin to him. wont be pretty

Might feel on reflection that his moment has passed now.

Will go down as one of the most successful England captains ever already - it's a matter of how he wants to end his career really.

Part of it may come down as to whether he and Flower think Cook is ready.

Probably wants to keep playing for a few more years though, and that may be much harder to do at international level if he isn't the skipper.

He has to go imo

Cant score runs, they have won 3 tests in 12 (is it?) and has lost the dressing room

not sure how he stays tbh

'lost the dressing room'? Hardly. Saw KP around Eng team in Oz & in hotel bar he was huddled away separate from the team surrounded by his advisers. Simply not a team man and clearly hard guy to manage but that is more a reflection on him than Strauss.
Strauss should definitely continue for the next 2 Ashes - no better person to lead Eng test side in next year and a half.

I think the no better person is a key point - there is an heir apparent in Alastair Cook, but ideally he could do with more experience first. No other contenders really.

Cook has had a successful time as ODI captain - wouldn't be the youngest England test captain by a long way. Strauss has had a great career as skipper, he may be thinking now is the time to go - big defeat in India would settle it for him whether he wants to go or not. On the KP issue, if he has sent texts to SA players slagging Strauss off and advising them how to get him out, he is history. The bloody fool has finished his international career.

cook's played 80 odd tests and the one day side have won everything since he's been skipper. how much experience do you need ? smith did it virtually from day 1

strauss extremely lucky the KP affair is clouding the issue. on form he has no right at all to a place in the side.

absolutely 100% correct

would love to see his average in the last 12 months or so

must be around 25-30

Not sure who is a better option to open the batting at the moment?

Cant Trott open?

he is practically doing it now anyway

Aug 21, 2012 -- 2:08PM, d13phe wrote:

absolutely 100% correctwould love to see his average in the last 12 months or somust be around 25-30

Strauss series averages in past 18 months:

V Sri Lanka in England 6.75 in 3 tests
V India in England 38.16 in 4 tests
V Pakistan in UAE 25.00 in 3 tests
V Sri Lanka in SL 28.5 in 2 tests
V WI in England 65.2 in 3 tests
V SA in England 17.8 in 3 tests

2 tons v Windies obviously boost his record during this period (only had 3 other 50s in these 18 tests) but there's no doubt that he'd have dropped some time ago if he wasn't the skipper.

Fair points about Cook - he seems like a youngster still at times, but 80 Tests plus the ODI captaincy has prepared the way.

Worth remembering Smitty took the job after about 10 Tests for the Saffers.

I know Cook will obviously be next captain, but I wouldn't mind Prior as a slightly left-field choice. Selfless player and been around the team for a long time now. Would be an aggressive captain as well

Wouldn't disagree cnman - he's one of the few to emerge with any credit from the recent KP debacle as well.

He won't get the gig though, for various reasons - not least that he has enough to do with his keeping.

There's no way Strauss can be dropped, he should be, but he can't - England are already forced to have 2 new batsmen in the top 6 with Barstow and whoever eventually fills the number 6 spot be that taylor or Morgan or whoever, they certainly won't have another despite the fact surely nobody can do any worse!

I must admit, I never though Strauss a great captain, I think he inherited a decent bowling attack and batsmen like cook and trott who were playing out of their skin and was further helped by the decline of just about every other decent side around. I think England got to number 1 despite him rather than because of him and his negative, cautious, one dimmensional approach.

It's also true he's been on the brink of being dropped so many times in his career only to save it with a ton against new Zealand or the west indies.

People will talk about a great opening batsmen and captain, whereas I dont think he was either. I'd be interested to see how his average compares to say, mark butcher especially given the fact butcher played in a weaker team, was shifted up and down the order and had to actually face decent bowling just about every series!

butcher only averaged around 35. a serious underperformer really. strauss's average of 42 makes him no more than a decent test opener in these days of inflated averages. certainly nothing special

I'm surprised butcher didn't finish with a slightly higher average than that, expected 38ish.

Does make the point though that in terms of records they are not that different given the respective bowling attacks they faced, I'd also go as far as saying (guessing) butchers average against the big sides would at least compare to strausses. I'm not suggesting butcher was a great or a legend, just merely that Strauss has never been better than an average test opener.

butcher had a really poor start to his test career. got dropped and was a much better player when he got back into the side.

True - your obviously a bit older than me!

Point I'm making is Strauss is overrated as a captain and and opening bat. Should go in my opinion.

Bit harsh on Strauss as captain.  He took over after the Pietersen captaincy debacle and promptly lost a series in the west indies.

He didn't inherit a good bowling attack - or at least not the attack that took them to number 1. Nin that windies 2009 series the bowlers were sidebottom, panesar, a young broad and a soon to be retired flintoff and Harmison.

I think he's an excellent leader, a decent captain and a good opening batsman.  The only major problem for me is his form and given the uncertainty in the middle order and lack of an obvious superstar opener to replace him, I'd stick with him.

Unless I'm wrong, that bowling attack would have won a couple of tests that series had Strauss not made over cautious declarations leaving WI 9 down and plenty behind!

Strauss' achievements as a captain have been immense.

Test No 1, Ashes wins home and away - the Ashes away win puts him in an elite group. He's had his fair share of difficult personnel - Flintoff/KP but the team has largely been greater than the sum of its parts.

Absolutely correct, Asparagus. Seems a lot of people have very short memories. He has been excellent as leader of 'team' England where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts (when individuals were performing at their best). We've had past captains who scored poorly for an extended period of time but retained captaincy cos they were best person for the job - Brearley the prime example, but Vaughan also in his last couple of years.
Ashes series wins home & away an immense achievement. A lot of fools try and belittle this cos Oz not the same Oz of early Noughties but ffs, do people not comprehend how hard it is to win a series in Oz? There was a big reason Eng hadn't won there since 1987, before Strauss's men won in 2010/11… It is f*cking difficult to do.

a ludicrous argument to dismiss it as just because australia were a shambles. still a phenomenal effort to inflict probably the worst home thrashing in australian cricket history. that fact that england's number 4 bat KP went to the crease just 6 times in the 5 matches said it all.

Captain only as good as the bowling attack so Strauss has been very fortunate in that respect. Far too negative captaincy for my liking, which cost him his first series against the WIndies. Personal goodwill towards him tends to cloud any rational assessment. Hardly irrepaceable as a captain (I imagine Cook will easily carry on the safety-first approach of the Strauss-Flower years) so debate should really be about whether a stronger batting line-up can be constructed with or without him.

If the ECB and Andy Flower came grovelling to K Pietersen and yourself R Monkey, would the two of you possibly see your way clear to him returning to the team as captain?

Things that go BUMP in the night...